NRL

Australian coach Kevin Walters has almost certainly lost three of his side’s biggest stars just weeks out from the 2026 Rugby League World Cup.

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With Nathan Cleary undergoing emergency surgery on a compound leg fracture overnight, the Penrith captain was already set for a long rehabilitation period ruling him out of national selection month.

But after their 8-point preliminary final loss to Newcastle, an emotional Penrith coach Ivan Cleary explained his son also needed surgery for the stress fracture in his right foot which had been the subject of considerable injury speculation in the lead up to the match ensuring an even more complex off-season recovery.

The bad news didn’t end there either with Ivan Cleary also revealing star fullback Dylan Edwards suffered a ruptured posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) in the first half of the Knights loss, while confirming Isaah Yeo has been playing for the past month with a fully ruptured pectoral that will also require surgery.

MORE: 12-man Knights storm into NRL Grand Final with epic Panthers upset after Crossland send off

While Yeo may be tempted to keep pushing through the pain barrier for his country, the Panthers will no doubt be counselling otherwise with an eye to getting the veteran lock back to full fitness for the start of the 2027 NRL campaign.

“I’m not sure,” Yeo admitted when asked if he would continue to delay surgery.

“I’ll have to talk to the club because it would affect the start of next season if I was to prolong it, that’s a conversation for later next week with Ivan and the staff.”

In terms of Dylan Edwards who was noticeably hobbling during the preliminary final, even low-grade non-surgical PCL tears can take multiple months to heal meaning, fitness permitting, James Tedesco will begin Australia’s World Cup defence as Kevin Walters’ undisputed first-choice No.1 with back-up likely to come from Reece Walsh.

Meanwhile on a shocking afternoon for the Panthers, Blaize Talagi also left Accor Stadium in the second half with a serious Achilles injury that will rule him out of selection for Samoa at the upcoming World Cup.

“We were probably falling apart a little bit,” Ivan Cleary said after the match that saw the Knights prevail 22-14, despite playing the entire second half with just 12 men after Phoenix Crossland was sent off the hip-drop tackle that saw his son end the night in hospital.

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