Penrith Panthers star Nathan Cleary has confirmed his hamstring injury is only minor.
Pushing concerns to the side that Cleary could have missed a long stint with the injury he picked up last weekend, the star half said he is aiming to return for a Round 7 clash against the Wests Tigers.
That will see him miss just two games, with the Panthers' halfback missing Thursday's clash with the Sydney Roosters and next weekend's match against the Manly Sea Eagles, before the men from the foot of the mountains have the bye in Round 6.
Speaking on Channel 9, Cleary revealed the hamstring injury is in the other leg than the one which kept him out of action last year, and that if this weekend's clash had of been a grand final, he would have played.
“Yep... we play Manly this week and then we have a bye,” Cleary said on Channel 9 when asked about the injury.
“It's a little hammy tear. It's definitely not the same as (last year). “It's probably what happened before I did the actual tear last year, it's really minor. It's the other leg as well.
“It's a conversation with the physio and how to manage it properly. If it was a grand final last week I could have played. It's about managing the workload around extras and kicking. It's something I never had to worry about growing up, I enjoyed doing it.
“Last year, I started to pick up a few niggles here and there. It's more so the mental reps now and plan my week with that.”
The cautious approach around Cleary's return is no surprise early in the season, considering the workload ahead of him and that he has missed matches with injuries in each of the last two seasons.
Cleary is expected to be picked by the New South Wales Blues for another State of Origin series before spearheading the Penrith premiership push as the club look for an unprecedented four-peat.
Cleary's absence this weekend means Brad Schendier will remain in the side for another week where he will partner Jarome Luai.
