Nathan Cleary to miss at least six months following ankle surgery

Penrith Panthers star Nathan Cleary has vowed to return after his 2026 season was brutally cut short on Sunday, thanking fans for their support from his hospital bed.

The 28-year-old suffered a horrific compound fracture of his left ankle in the Panthers' NRL preliminary final defeat against Newcastle, ruling him out of the Kangaroos' World Cup campaign.

The Panthers, who led 14-6 at half-time, ultimately fell apart to lose to the 12-man Knights, 22-14.

On Monday, the star halfback posted a photo from hospital, with his left leg bandaged following surgery.

"Surgery done," he wrote on Instagram, with a photo of him smiling and giving thumbs up to the camera.

"Thank you so much to everyone that has reached out, the support has been unbelievable.

"Yesterday sucked but it's all part of the journey and it's made me even more grateful for the people I have around me.

The gruesome injury cast a pall over the Sydney Olympic Stadium, with Panthers players visibly distressed on field while their star was being treated by medical staff.

"He's one of my best mates," Panthers captain Isaah Yeo said post-match.

"He's your brother out there. You don't like seeing anyone like that. You just want to be there for him.

"It's a lonely little place out there when you've got something like that going on."

Cleary's father, coach Ivan Cleary, also revealed that seeing his son in such a state at half-time was "emotional".

It was later revealed that Cleary, who started the game from the bench, was already playing with a broken bone in his right foot, with the Panthers hoping to manage his involvement with half an eye looking ahead to next weekend's grand final against the Sydney Roosters.

Cleary came onto the field mid-way 25 minutes into the first half, but only lasted 10 minutes before Newcastle hooker Phoenix Crossland fell onto his ankle in a tackle.

Crossland was sent off for a hip drop and was sent straight to the NRL judiciary by the match review committee, where a lengthy suspension could not only rule him out of Newcastle's first NRL grand final in 25 years, but also impact the Kiwi's World Cup campaign.

Crossland is likely to face a lengthy ban, but has been given support from former Maroons coach Billy Slater.

Speaking on The Billy Slater Podcast, Slater said the current rules were leaving players unsure as to how to tackle players effectively without giving away a penalty.

"It has to come down to the responsibility of the tackler," Slater said.

"[But] I honestly feel the game has a little bit of a responsibility in this as well. When you change interpretations and change rules, you always have a flow-on effect.

"If you think about the protection of kickers and ball players and not being able to tackle them even fractionally after they pass the ball … 10 years ago this wouldn't have happened. Fifteen years ago that tackle would not have happened because Phoenix Crossland would've had more speed and force going into that tackle.

"But because he was worried about tackling Nathan after he passed the ball he was actually in a passive position.

"He was on his inside, which is normally when you put pressure on the ball player and you go out and you make tackles on that ball player, even after they pass the ball slightly.

"Phoenix wasn't in that mindset. He was in a passive mindset thinking Nathan was going to pass, then all of a sudden Nathan threw a dummy and he had to make a tackle and he didn't have that force behind him.

"I've got no doubt that has contributed to why Phoenix Crossland is in this grabbing and sitting down position, because he doesn't have that momentum and force and mindset of making a tackle."

The NRL judiciary will sit on Tuesday, with Crossland needing to argue his case to have any chance of playing in the 2026 grand final.