The Panthers will be sweating on the fitness of two key stars for their 2025 season opener in Las Vegas, with Dylan Edwards undergoing the same shoulder surgery as Nathan Cleary.
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The Sydney Morning Herald reported Edwards had shoulder surgery after carrying the injury through the Kangaroos’ tournament win in the year-end Pacific Championships.
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The Blues and Kangaroos No.1 had been dealing with an impingement issue and had the same Latarjet operation that teammate Cleary underwent last week.
The estimated recovery time from this type of surgery is between 14 and 16 weeks, with the Panthers to take on the Sharks in the opening round on March 1, which is 15 weeks away.
It means Penrith could be without arguably their two best players in Cleary and Edwards to kick off their bid for a fifth straight title.
Edwards played all three Kangaroos Tests in the Pacific Championships, including a tough win over Tonga in the final.
Such is Edwards’ toughness and professionalism few people were aware of his the extent of his injury, including Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga.
“He doesn’t complain, I know he’s had a crook shoulder, but I wasn’t aware he needed surgery,” Meninga told the Herald.
“He’s the ultimate professional, he’s been great around the group, and when he talks, you listen. He’s found his sense of belonging in this team.”
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Should both Panthers stars be unavailable for the trip to Sin City, the likely replacements would be Casey McLean, who scored four tries on debut for New Zealand, in place of Edwards at fullback and Brad Schneider in Cleary’s No.7 jumper.
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