Former Brisbane Broncos winger Jharal Yow Yeh has offered Nathan Cleary a message of hope after the Penrith Panthers halfback suffered a serious ankle injury.
Cleary sustained a compound fracture to his left ankle during a hip-drop tackle from Newcastle’s Phoenix Crossland in Sunday’s 22-14 preliminary final loss.
The Panthers star had already been battling a broken right foot and is expected to undergo multiple surgeries, leaving NRL supporters anxiously awaiting further news about his recovery.
Yow Yeh knows the long-term impact of a major ankle injury better than most. He suffered a catastrophic injury against South Sydney in Perth in 2012, endured 10 operations and almost two years of rehabilitation before his career was brought to an early end at just 24.
However, speaking to Daily Mail, the former Queensland and Australian winger said the distressing similarities between the two incidents did not mean Cleary would necessarily face the same outcome.
‘I actually don’t think it’ll be as bad as what a lot of people think,’ Yow Yeh said.
Former Broncos star Jharal Yow Yeh has given Nathan Cleary hope after the Panthers playmaker suffered a devastating ankle injury
Yow Yeh delivered a heartfelt message of hope to Nathan Cleary following the Panthers star’s serious ankle injury
Yow Yeh stressed that his optimism came with a caveat: he did not yet know the full extent of Cleary’s injuries.
Sunday night’s incident also revived painful memories of the injury that cut short Yow Yeh’s promising career.
‘I just feel so bad for him,’ he said.
‘I know that feeling. I know where he’s at when you’re sitting there and you’re just helpless.
‘You never think that that’s gonna happen to you. I can guarantee you I never thought in my life that I would ever do something like that.’
He also warned against making a direct comparison, pointing out that an ankle dislocation was a major element of his own injury.
‘Mine was a dislocation of my ankle joint,’ he said.
‘So I think a lot of people are trying to throw similarities. I’m not sure if he’s done that.’
Yow Yeh cautioned against comparing Cleary’s injury with the ankle injury that ended his own career
Cleary had also been dealing with a stress fracture in his opposite foot before the preliminary final
Yow Yeh said the exact fracture and the extent of any additional damage would be critical in determining Cleary’s recovery, while acknowledging the added risks when a broken bone breaks through the skin.
‘I think the complication part is because it has pierced skin, there is a chance there where you can get an infection,’ he said.
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Yow Yeh raised the question of how Cleary would feel when he eventually returned to the demands of professional football.
‘It’s just whether you’ll have pain, I suppose, when he comes back, because we’ve gotta remember you’re holding your body weight on your ankles, your legs,’ he said.
‘Keep in mind, I wasn’t a kicker. I didn’t kick the ball a lot like him. I didn’t kick the goals. He’s still a very healthy young man.’
Physiotherapist Brien Seeney, who provides injury analysis under the NRL Physio name, also highlighted the uncertainty surrounding an open fracture.
In his initial assessment on X, Seeney said the usual recovery range for ankle fractures and dislocations was three to four months, but warned Cleary’s situation could be more complicated.
‘The open nature of the injury increases the uncertainty here and it might not be so clear cut,’ Seeney wrote.
Yow Yeh believed access to trusted specialists in Sydney would benefit the Panthers halfback
Physiotherapist Brien Seeney warned that the open nature of Cleary’s injury made his recovery timeline less certain
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He explained that an open wound greatly increased infection risk and would require a washout during surgery to reduce that risk.
Yow Yeh believed Cleary’s access to the club’s trusted medical specialists in Sydney was a reason for encouragement.
‘He’s got everyone that the club would trust in the vicinity,’ he said.
‘I’ve got no doubt that the club doctor or the surgeon would have been called immediately.
‘We’re talking about the best player in the world, right? Like, arguably best player in the world.’
He expected there would be no shortage of specialists willing to help the Panthers halfback.
‘I can guarantee you there’s that many surgeons putting their hands up to be inside that room to help,’ he said.
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