Newcastle Knights hooker Phoenix Crossland has been directly referred to the judiciary on Tuesday night to learn whether he will be available for the NRL Grand final against the Sydney Roosters.
During Sunday afternoon's preliminary final, Crossland was sent from the field in the second half after making contact with Cleary, who had only entered the contest with around 15 minutes remaining.
Cleary was initially set to start but instead came off the interchange after suffering a stress-related bone issue in his right foot during the Panthers' qualifying final victory over the Sydney Roosters, with the injury later revealed to be a break.
However, his return to the field against Newcastle lasted just 10 minutes.
With Penrith attacking the Knights' line, Crossland brought Cleary to ground in a tackle that was deemed to constitute a hip drop, leaving the Panthers star requiring a stretcher to leave the field.
Cleary suffered a compound fracture to his left foot and was immediately taken to the hospital by ambulance.
Horrid for Nathan Cleary - taken off on a medicab after suffering a traumatic ankle injury (opposite leg to his previous foot bone stress injury)
Hip drop tackle mechanism - tacklers weight comes down on outside of lower leg trapping foot & turns it sideways.
Report from… pic.twitter.com/oN4M4fbwUm
— NRL PHYSIO (@nrlphysio) September 27, 2026
The incident also marked the first time a player has been sent off for a hip drop tackle in the NRL, with the punishment for the offence more commonly resulting in a sin bin.
The severity of Cleary's injury has also sparked frustration among fans, with concerns continuing to emerge over whether the outcome of an incident is influencing the eventual punishment handed down by the game's match officials and MRC.
The incident is not the first time a Penrith player has suffered a serious injury following a hip drop this season.
In April, Panthers hooker Mitch Kenny suffered a fractured fibula and high-grade syndesmosis injury following a hip drop tackle from Dolphins playmaker Kodi Nikorima.
In this game Nikorima was sin-binned for ten minutes.
He was then handed a two-match suspension with an early guilty plea, with that penalty increasing by one match had he unsuccessfully challenged the charge at the judiciary.
Crossland's situation is further complicated by the fact the incident occurred during the finals series.
Players have missed the chance to play for a premiership in the past after being suspended for incidents during the finals.
Melbourne Storm captain Cameron Smith famously missed the 2008 Grand Final against Manly after being suspended for a grapple tackle on Brisbane Broncos forward Sam Thaiday during the finals.
South Sydney Rabbitohs hooker Isaac Luke was also ruled out of the 2014 Grand Final after being charged with a dangerous throw on Sydney Roosters star Sonny Bill Williams.
Crossland will now spend his Tuesday night fighting for the chance to play in a historic Grand Final for Newcastle.
