The Penrith Panthers have confirmed that forwards Isaiah Papali’i and Mavrik Geyer have both suffered MCL injuries and will be sidelined for two to three weeks.
Papali’i was absent from the team list for this week’s match against the Newcastle Knights in Bathurst, while Geyer was also unavailable, despite several key players being out due to State of Origin selection.
Both players are expected to be back in time for either Round 14, when Penrith face the Wests Tigers on Sunday, June 8, or after their Round 15 bye, ahead of a key clash against the New Zealand Warriors. Head coach Ivan Cleary has already confirmed he won’t be taking any Origin players to New Zealand due to the tight turnaround after Game 2 of the Origin series, which will be played in Perth. That schedule would demand an eight-hour travel day immediately after Origin, with less than 48 hours of preparation in Auckland.
Meanwhile, Luke Garner, who was originally named to play this week, has been ruled out after suffering a concussion at training. Under NRL protocols, he will be sidelined for a minimum of 11 days, placing his availability for Round 13 against the Parramatta Eels in doubt.
In other injury news, the Panthers confirmed that Soni Luke is aiming to return later in the regular season, while Asu Kepaoa and Jaxen Edgar are nearing comebacks from hamstring injuries.
Stay tuned for further updates from the Panthers’ medical team.
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