Billy Slater says the fitness of captain Isaah Yeo could become a “real concern” for Penrith as the club hunts a fifth consecutive premiership.
Yeo missed Friday’s win over Newcastle due to a shoulder injury suffered against the Titans a week earlier.
There has been scant detail from the Panthers as to what the injury was, how significant it is, or how long Yeo may be sidelined.
Coach Ivan Cleary last week described it as “a sublux” – a dislocation – but had no news as to when the gun No.13 might be fit to play.
The veteran lock has barely missed a game through injury since Penrith began its dynasty with the 2021 premiership.
He’s the New South Wales and Kangaroos captain and considered the most influential lock in the NRL, given how crucial he is to the team’s system.
Slater says the Panthers will be mighty worried.
“Isaah Yeo is probably the only concern,” he told Nine’s The Billy Slater Podcast when assessing Penrith’s premiership chances.
“No one keeps things in-house as well as the Panthers do at the moment. Melbourne Storm do it pretty well, but there’s not many clubs that keep things in-house like the Panthers.
“It was a real concern the way Isaah Yeo landed and then came up with a shoulder injury.
“I was concerned because I know the way he landed can actually cause serious damage.
“There has been very little report on how he is going, and what the actual injury is.
“It will be interesting to see when he does come back, and how long he’s been out for, because that would indicate how serious this injury is.
“If it is a serious injury, that could have huge repercussions for their season at the end of the year.”
The season got off to a horror start for Penrith when the team lost six of its first eight games, coming off the back of a fourth straight grand final victory.
They were sitting bottom of the NRL ladder but the Panthers have clawed their way up into fourth spot and are on a nine-game winning streak.
They’ve got a tough run home – facing the three teams above them on the ladder – but are sitting pretty for yet another top-four finish to the season, earning them two bites of the cherry in finals.
Slater is among those amazed at the club’s resurgence from cellar dwellars to title contenders.
“No team holds you down when they’ve got you pinned like the Panthers have in the last five years. They are a suffocating team,” he said.
“They are ruthless and relentless.
“I’ve been so impressed with the way Ivan Cleary has shut the noise out and allowed his younger players to develop and grow, and help educate them. That’s been a really good coaching display.
“The middle tier guys… have just risen, from middle tier guys to top-line first graders. Then you’ve got the senior guys like Isaah Yeo, Nathan Cleary, Dylan Edwards, Brian To’o, they are really leading the way at the moment.”
The Panthers next face the Storm on Thursday night.
