Hospitalised Penrith fullback Dallin Watene-Zelezniak will find out on Thursday afternoon whether he has to have surgery on a collapsed lung that could rule him out for the rest of the NRL season.

The 19-year-old went to hospital on Tuesday night after suffering a relapse of primary spontaneous pneumothorax, a genetic condition that results in the accumulation of air in the space between the lungs and chest cavity.

Cleary said the condition wasn’t career-ending, but admitted the teenager had been experiencing symptoms for the past year.

Utility Will Smith will replace Watene-Zelezniak in the line-up against Melbourne on Friday night, while hooker James Segeyaro is also a slight chance to return.