Nathan Cleary ahead of schedule in shoulder recovery adding sea moss to his diet

Penrith halfback Nathan Cleary says he’s ahead of schedule after returning to training on Thursday just five weeks after shoulder surgery, hoping to develop a relationship with new recruit Blaize Talagi as the Panthers plot a path to what would be a staggering fifth-straight NRL premiership.

Talagi, who crossed to the reigning champions from Parramatta, looms as the replacement in the halves for Jarome Luai, the latest in a lengthy line of premiership winners who have left in recent seasons.

Both Talagi and superstar Penrith fullback Dylan Edwards have also had shoulder surgery in the off-season, but all could be available for their first game in Las Vegas, with Cleary looking good during Thursday’s session.

The four-time premiership winner was with teammates at Nepean Hospital on Friday afternoon spreading Christmas cheer, with the locals stoked to see their main man looking so good just weeks after major surgery to repair a shoulder injury that plagued him in pre-season and ruled him out for a few weeks on the eve of the finals.

“It’s pretty much a three or four month recovery so it’s been good so far. I came back to training yesterday (on Thursday) and it’s been good so far,” Cleary told NewsWire.

“I’m slowly ticking the boxes and then it’ll start ramping up after Christmas. I’m a little bit ahead of schedule which is cool.

“There are a few guys at the club who have come back from shoulder surgery and everyone is doing really well. We’re all progressing well together.”

Cleary hasn’t been able to do full contact or major ball work, with the champion playmaker set to spend the pre-season building a relationship with 19-year-old Talagi.

But it won’t be a simple swap for Luai, given Cleary and his former five-eighth spent a decade together coming through the junior grades before becoming a dominant pairing in the NRL.

They were Batman and Robin for so long that everything felt second nature which is why Cleary doesn’t want to make any bold predictions about Talagi who is battling with Jack Cole for the number six jersey.

“I don’t have any expectations at the moment,” he said.

“He has come back in really good shape for a guy who had his shoulder done a week after me and he’s absolutely flying.

“I’ve been getting to know him these past couple of days. He’s actually my locker neighbour so that’s been nice.

“He’s a shy young kid but he’s really willing to learn. If you tell him something then he takes it on board straight away, and he’s a quick learner.

“I don’t have any expectations yet, but I played him last season and know that he’s a great player with great talent, but he’s also got a lot to learn.

“I just want to get to know him as a person first and help him where I can on the training field.

“There’s a long way to go before round one comes around, and there are other guys who are putting their hands up for the number six position. It’s really healthy competition.”

Cleary could invite Talagi over for dinner to share a few ideas where the teenager would be treated to sea moss, steaks, scrambled eggs and then some bone broth and more sea moss for dessert.

It’s all part of Cleary’s carnivore diet which he turned to while dealing with repeated hamstring injuries which limited him to a career-low 13 matches in 2024.

“When I was going through the hammy troubles last year, I wanted to have a clean slate and take a step back to look at everything I was doing,” he revealed.

“If there was anything I could do to help me in any way then I’d do it.

“The carnivore stuff isn’t full-time. I use it here and there as a bit of a cleanse and then I add fruit and sweet potato back in after that.

“I just want to be more conscious of my diet and try to do any little one-percenters that will keep me on the field.

“I go through periods where I’m quite disciplined, but after a game I’ll have a little treat here and there to keep a healthy balance.

“I’ve been feeling really good, particularly in my gut, with my recovery time and my mental clarity.”