A “shattered” Nathan Cleary hasn’t ruled himself out of contention for Origin III selection despite the hamstring injury suffered last weekend against the Dragons tipped to rule him out for up to six weeks.
Speaking publicly for the first time, Cleary told Nine News he immediately “knew it wasn’t good” and that he wouldn’t be playing Game II in Brisbane on Wednesday week.
“That’s initially why I was probably so frustrated, I knew it wasn’t going to be the best result,” he said.
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“(Being out of Game II) was probably the most shattering part. It’s not the greatest timing, but at the end of the day it could always be worse, so that’s the mindset I’m going with.”
If he was to play Origin III, Cleary would almost certainly do so having not played since the injury. But the Panthers gun said it was “too far away” to say definitively if he was out.
“I’ve never really done a hammy before so I’m not too sure how the recovery process goes, but literally, at the moment it’s day by day, so we’ll see.”
Meanwhile, Adam Reynolds said he’s “sick of hearing” the speculation about whether or not he lines up as Cleary’s replacement, but insists he’s “more than ready” to get the job done.
Freddy’s nerves over Cleary
“The phone’s been off. I haven’t been watching much TV, I can’t focus on whether I get selected or not,” he told media on Friday.
“That’s up to Freddy and the coaching staff which way they want to go, but I’d be more than honoured to put my hand up and represent the state.”
The Blues squad is expected to be announced on Tuesday.
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