Knights hooker Phoenix Crossland sent off for hip-drop tackle
Panthers star taken to hospital and will miss World Cup
Penrith star Nathan Cleary has been carried off Accor Stadium on a medicab after suffering a compound fracture of the ankle in the NRL preliminary final against Newcastle.
In a potentially defining moment of the finals series, Newcastle hooker Phoenix Crossland was sent off for the hip-drop tackle which left Cleary injured in the 36th minute.
The decision left the Knights to play with 12 men for the final 44 minutes of Sunday’s preliminary final.
But the blow to Penrith’s premiership hopes and chances of beating the Sydney Roosters if they win the preliminary final is significant.
Cleary had already been in doubt for Sunday’s match with bone damage in his right foot, and was held back to come off the bench against Newcastle.
He came on to the field in the 25th minute after stalking the sideline for the opening stages, waiting for his chance to enter the fray.
But the stress injury in his foot is now the least of Cleary’s concern, with the No 7 now also set to miss the World Cup.
Penrith officials immediately identified a compound fracture of Cleary’s left ankle, with the foot pointing the wrong way as he lay on the ground.
Referee Gerard Sutton’s decision to send Crossland off made the Knights hooker the first player to be marched for a hip-drop tackle in the NRL.
“Initially he’s up high, he makes a definite action to twist,” Sutton told Crossland and Knights captain Kalyn Ponga.
“He comes down on the leg with weight. There’s extreme risk of serious injury. You’re off.”