Penrith will wait nervously on scans for Kurt Capewell after the second-rower suffered a knee injury during Friday’s NRL loss to Parramatta.
Capewell came reeling out of his first tackle of the game at Bankwest Stadium before limping off behind the dead-ball line at the end of the first set.
The former Cronulla forward is now expected to undergo scans as soon as Saturday to determine the extent of the injury.
The initial diagnosis was a medial ligament injury, and coach Ivan Cleary is hoping to avoid a more harrowing outcome.
“I think he’s done a medial. That was the first tackle he made. We’ve just got to cross our fingers it’s not too bad,” Cleary said post-game.
“But it could be reasonably significant.”
A lengthy sideline stint would be a huge blow for the former Cronulla forward, who had established himself as an 80-minute player on Penrith’s right edge.
He had also battled a quad injury that kept him out of the opening two games of the season prior to the coronavirus shutdown.
Liam Martin, who played his first game since suffering a leg injury earlier this year, came on Capewell’s replacement and is the likely option long-term.
“I thought Liam Martin was really good. First game back after since round two, played 79 minutes. And thought he looked really strong,” Cleary said.
Cleary was also pleased with the return of son Nathan, who was playing his first game back since his two-game ban for breaking social distancing laws.
The star halfback slotted straight back in as their chief playmaker, orchestrating a 10-0 lead after an hour only for the team to fade in the final quarter of the game.
“Like all our boys, I thought he tried hard, the effort was really good, come up with some good plays. He’ll only be better for the run,” Ivan said.
The former Wests Tigers coach was also upset with a disallowed try to centre Dean Whare, who was penalised for pushing a defender in the act of scoring.
“They’ll open a can of worms if that’s not a try,” Ivan said.
“Dean Whare’s one, I don’t know. It wasn’t the winning or losing of the game.”
