NRL Injury News Summary – Grand Final:

- Nathan Cleary will undergo surgery after suffering a compound fracture to his left leg against the Knights.

- Newcastle hooker Phoenix Crossland was sent off for the hip-drop tackle that caused the injury.

- Ivan Cleary confirmed Nathan also needs surgery on a broken right foot he carried into the match.

- Roosters utility Connor Watson is in doubt for the grand final after failing a HIA against the Dolphins.

Nathan Cleary Injury: What Happened at Accor Stadium

The Nathan Cleary injury came just 10 minutes after the Panthers No.7 entered the preliminary final off the bench. 

He was making his return from a foot injury suffered in the qualifying final against the Roosters a fortnight earlier.

Cleary was attacking the line when he was dragged down by Knights hooker Phoenix Crossland, who was sent off for the hip-drop tackle. 

Penrith officials quickly confirmed the compound fracture as Cleary left the field, and he was transported to hospital.

Coach Ivan Cleary confirmed post-match that Nathan would also require surgery to repair a broken right foot, the injury he suffered against the Roosters in the qualifying final before taking the field in the preliminary final.

Panthers Injury News: Yeo, Edwards and Talagi

The Nathan Cleary injury was not the only concern for Penrith. Ivan Cleary revealed several players had been carrying significant problems:

Isaah Yeo: The co-captain played with a fully torn pectoral muscle.

Dylan Edwards: The fullback was nursing a knee injury.

Blaize Talagi: The youngster collapsed to the ground untouched in the second half and was helped from the field with an Achilles injury.

Cleary, Edwards and Talagi are all listed with return dates to be confirmed but they all look set to miss the upcoming World Cup. 

Connor Watson in NRL Grand Final Doubt

Roosters utility Connor Watson is at risk of missing next Sunday's NRL grand final after failing a head injury assessment in Friday night's win over the Dolphins.

In the 32nd minute, Watson was contesting a loose ball on the ground when he copped an accidental hip to the head from Kulikefu Finefeuiaki. 

He failed the HIA and was ruled out for the remainder of the match.

"That was a hard one because it came out as a Category 2 and then he went in to do it [the assessment] and they changed it to a Category 1 after a couple of minutes," coach Trent Robinson said post-match.

"He's in the middle of doing his tests now to see where he's at because he got ruled out of the game so I'd say that's still 'watch this space' on Connor. We'll see how the tests go."

The 30-year-old will now enter the concussion protocols.

There was better news for the Roosters with halfback Sam Walker returning just three weeks after syndesmosis surgery. 

Walker played 68 minutes before being given an early mark. He was injured in Round 26 and missed the Round 27 clash with Souths, plus the finals against the Panthers and Sharks.

NRL Casualty Ward: Key Names Across the Competition

Beyond the grand final build-up, the NRL Casualty Ward lists a number of players that could return for the World Cup, including:

Reece Walsh and Preston Riki (Broncos, syndesmosis)

Jahrome Hughes (Storm, hamstring)

Valentine Holmes (Dragons, ankle)

Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad (Warriors, head knock)

Tolu Koula (Sea Eagles, ankle)

Morgan Smithies (Raiders, concussion)

Kai Pearce-Paul and Alex Twal (Wests Tigers, pectoral and concussion)

Several high-profile players are not expected back until 2027, including Nicho Hynes (concussion), Dylan Brown (ACL), Cody Walker (calf), Hudson Young (Achilles), Xavier Coates (Achilles) and Clint Gutherson (knee).