Jarome Luai says subsequent week’s bye is a “blessing in disguise” as he and halves accomplice Nathan Cleary put together to go in for scans to have their respective foot accidents assessed.
Cleary limped off simply earlier than halftime and didn’t take the shot at purpose to transform Izack Tago’s telling strive after he was caught awkwardly whereas making an attempt to make a deal with on Alex Johnston.
He was given the inexperienced gentle to renew and appeared high-quality within the second half, whereas it was later revealed that Luai was additionally coping with a foot harm after rising from the sheds in a moon boot following the 16-10 win over the Rabbitohs.
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It’s a superb factor the Panthers don’t play for one more two weeks after they face the Eels within the grand last rematch.
“I just got trodden on. Jaeman Salmon did it. 2-0 for him,” Luai laughed after the sport referencing an incident that occurred after Round 1.
“Nah, I can’t remember who did it. It’s just blown up a bit, but we’ve got the week off so it’ll be sweet.
“I think it happened in the first half. It’s a blessing in disguise (we have the bye).”
Penrith Panthers Press Conference | 04:29
The further week off could possibly be essential for Cleary, who would love redemption after he was despatched off within the corresponding conflict at CommBank Stadium towards the Eels in 2022.
“It’s fine. I just got it caught in an awkward position just before halftime. It felt a little bit weird for a little while but then I finished the game and it feels good now,” he mentioned, revealing teammate Brian To’o was the one who pinned him.
“Bizza’s big arse fell on my ankle. It’s sweet.”
Having the consultant halves on the paddock is a should for a Penrith aspect that dropped the World Club Challenge after which misplaced 13-12 of their season opener, main some to query whether or not their time on the high was over.
Latrell Mitchell even recommended there have been cracks within the windscreen earlier than Penrith silenced these considerations in one of the simplest ways doable.
Panthers dominate Souths in Penrith | 02:32
“I guess they’re fixed,” Cleary mentioned.
“There was no time to panic. It’s probably been a while, especially for these young guys, since they’ve lost two games in a row if you include the World Club Challenge.
“We did a lot of good things in round 1, but we just needed to put that together. It’s not going to be perfect in the year – it wasn’t perfect tonight – but it’s all about building blocks and setting up the foundation for later in the year.”
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The week off could possibly be a superb factor for Luai – not simply due to his foot – however as a result of he was once more dragged into the headlines for spraying Salmon for not being in the best spot at an important time final week.
Past gamers applauded his actions whereas his teammates mentioned it was nice to see, and at no stage did Luai ever purchase into what’s changing into all too acquainted criticism.
“We don’t listen to outside noise. We just go with the flow,” he mentioned.
“It’s only round 2. We’ve got some new players, so we’ve just got to get our timing right and our combinations right. That will come with more game time and more reps.”
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