Panthers coach Ivan Cleary revealed he needed to “check” himself relating to Jarome Luai’s return to the sphere after an unpleasant shoulder dislocation.
The gun five-eighth went down in Round 26 in a horror blow for a Penrith aspect making an attempt to report their third-straight premiership.
But with Jack Cogger holding the fort within the No.6, Penrith surged to the preliminary finals, permitting Luai to return and get 58 minutes beneath his belt earlier than the grand ultimate.
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Luai’s shoulder was entrance and centre of the news cycle forward of the Panthers’ preliminary ultimate conflict with the Storm.
Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy made it clear his ahead pack have been going to focus on him in defence, whereas Bulldogs supremo Phil Gould stated it could be a “miracle” if he took the sphere.
With a number of opinions swirling, Cleary stated even he questioned if injecting Luai again in to his beginning aspect was the precise choice.
“Very courageous, not just physically but mentally, the way he has approached this whole injury,” Cleary stated within the post-match press convention.
“From the moment he came off that night, saying all the positive things. That’s the thing, everyone was talking about it this week, but for us he wasn’t really in doubt.
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“I had to check myself a couple of days ago, I had to think about it a little more from what everyone else was saying.
“Because honestly, I get it, there’s some management of risk there, but he just went 100 per cent in everything.
“That certainly helped him to be able to play like he did tonight.”
The Panthers will now wait eagerly for the winner of the second preliminary finals conflict between the Broncos and Warriors.
Penrith are additionally solely 80 minutes away from the primary three-peat since Peter Sterling’s Eels approach again in 1981-83.
Source web site: www.foxsports.com.au
