Nathan Cleary gets another slap on the back as Penrith Panthers reach the NRL grand final

Penrith will be aiming for four consecutive premierships after reaching the NRL grand final with a 26-6 win over Cronulla on Saturday evening.

But superstar halfback Nathan Cleary will face the Melbourne Storm fresh from another painful blow to his injured shoulder late against the Sharks.

As a precaution, he finished the preliminary final on the bench.

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The Panthers had a 10-2 lead at half-time and were threatened with a game when Sione Katoa hit back for Cronulla on the hour mark.

Cleary, however, had other ideas.

The masterful number 7 shook off the Sharks’ defensive line and kicked beautifully to Brian To’o in the corner, and there was another romp.

Paul Alamoti scored his second try of the match less than three minutes later, while Liam Martin, who overcame a head injury in the first half, crossed in the 77th minute to seal the victory on a high note.

The final attempt came when Cleary was outside the field.

He had clutched his left shoulder after contributing to an attempted save in the corner, doing more defensive work before ending it.

The new concern follows Penrith coach Ivan Cleary confirming earlier this week that his son and star half is “very likely” to need shoulder surgery in the off-season.

Nathan Cleary’s injury was first reported in pre-season and flared up in a defeat to Melbourne last month.

Cleary underwent full training this week before playing Cronulla but is still participating in rehabilitation after missing three weeks heading into the final.

“It’s very likely he’ll have surgery, I would say,” Cleary said Thursday.

“But we’ll just work through what we need to do and weigh the risks and options.”

The only other concern for the Panthers will be the availability of hooker Mitch Kenny, who was placed on report for a high shot that took out a slipping Sharks prop Tom Hazleton midway through the second half.

Penrith’s looming decider against Melbourne will be a rematch of their last final defeat – the 2020 grand final.

Although the Storm have not returned since, the Panthers have conquered all comers and will now chase four consecutive premierships.

This Sunday’s grand final will be the final Penrith appearances for Jarome Luai and Sunia Turuva before they head off together to Wests Tigers, while James Fisher-Harris heads to the Warriors.