Source :- THE AGE NEWS
Panthers coach Ivan Cleary “wouldn’t have even bothered” pushing most players through the recovery Penrith co-captain Isaah Yeo is attempting as he edges closer to a remarkable four-week comeback from a pectoral tear.
Cleary acknowledged on Friday that “we’re in the risk business” as Yeo prepares to undergo fitness and range-of-motion tests on the right pectoral he injured against the Warriors in round 23.
The 31-year-old will be put through his paces in a Friday night training session and again on Saturday morning and is, according to his coach, “definitely a chance” of playing limited minutes from the bench in Sunday’s dead-rubber clash against Wests Tigers.
While most pec ruptures are treated with surgery and a typical 10-12 week recovery timeframe, Yeo and the Panthers targeted a pre-finals hit out against the Tigers as an ambitious first checkpoint in a best-case rehabilitation plan for the star No.13.
Even if Yeo is kept on ice this week, his likely availability for the finals is a huge boost for the premiership-heavyweights as Cleary marvelled at the Australian, NSW and Penrith captain’s resilience.
“I think it’s fair to say we wouldn’t have even bothered [attempting Yeo’s rehabilitation] with a lot of players based on their experience and age,” Cleary said.
“Every situation is different. But I think the main thing is he was always on board with it and at any stage if he wasn’t, then we would have just pulled it.”
Cleary conceded there are elements and movements of a game that cannot necessarily be replicated in training and fitness tests without risking the injury, particularly for a middle player like Yeo, who regularly plays 70-plus minutes and averages more than 35 tackles a match.
“We’ve tried to give him as many of those scenarios as we can in training,” Cleary said. “There’s going to be some things happening in a game that we’re not quite sure about. But we feel like our process has been rigorous enough to at least get him to make the decisions [on his fitness] well.
“We’re not talking about a five-game rookie here… If he gets through the next few days, then he’s ready to give it a shot, anyway”.
While Yeo pushes to return, hooker Mitch Kenny is a confirmed starter against the Tigers in his first game since suffering a badly broken leg in mid-April.
Cleary, meanwhile, also gave special thanks to the Warriors after he and his family were welcomed by the rival club to watch son Jett’s memorable NRL debut last Sunday against Newcastle.
Cleary’s comments marked an easing of recent tensions between the two premiership favourites.
Penrith had been unimpressed that the Warriors had initially baulked at granting Jett’s early release request to join the Panthers, where he will play under Ivan in his final season as coach next year. Penrith had granted James Fisher-Harris a compassionate grounds release with no questions asked when he had wanted to return to New Zealand in 2025.
“It was an awesome day,” Cleary said, having tried not to envisage potentially coaching against his youngest son in a finals clash.
“I want to say thanks to the Warriors, they really looked after us as a family, and they’ve done a great job with Jett, too… I wouldn’t have supported him going to any other club, I don’t think.
“I trust those guys [Warriors coach Andrew Webster and assistant David Tangata-Toa] implicitly. It’s a great club on the rise. I think they’ve done a great job with him, and I’m very thankful that they’ve allowed him to come back”.
‘Earned this opportunity’: Volkman signs new Eels deal
Adrian Proszenko
Parramatta have re-signed Ronald Volkman, who turned down Canterbury to jostle with incoming recruit Jarome Luai for the No.6 jersey next season. Volkman has signed a two-year contract extension after a sparkling run of form alongside captain and halfback Mitchell Moses.
The former Warriors playmaker is one of the most improved players in the NRL this season, and his form piqued the interest of the Bulldogs.
It appeared the impending arrival of PNG-bound Tigers star Luai at the Eels for a one-year stopover in 2027 would result in Volkman leaving the blue and golds. However, the parties have come back to the negotiating table to ensure the 24-year-old stays put until at least the end of 2028.
Luai is currently on a deal worth $1.2 million at the Tigers, while Volkman is playing well above his annual pay cheque of just $150,000. The latter has earned an increase in his new deal, but still represents great value for money for the rebuilding Eels.
“The positive environment which [coach] Jason Ryles has created at the club has provided some stability for Ronald where he is playing his best football of his career,” said Parramatta general manager of football Mark O’Neill.
“He has earned this opportunity with some wonderful individual and team performances, and he will only continue to improve.”
Elsewhere, Perth have confirmed the signing of Bulldogs winger Jonathan Sua on a three-year deal.
“This is a massive opportunity for me, and I can’t wait to get started,” Sua said. “Being part of a brand-new club, building something from the very first day, isn’t something a lot of players get the chance to do. I want to make the most of it and show what I can do on a bigger stage.
“I’ve worked really hard over the last few seasons to get to this point, and I feel like my footy is in a really good place right now. I know there’s still so much more improvement in my game. I’m ready to put in the work to become the best winger I can be.”
Las Vegas combine winner exits Knights as Young closes in on new deal
Chris Barrett, Adrian Proszenko
Las Vegas combine winner Marcus D’Acre has left Newcastle to sign with Israel Folau’s former team in Japanese rugby as the Knights close in on a new long-term deal for prolific winger Dominic Young.
Newcastle are about to embark on their fifth finals series in seven years, rebounding from the wooden spoon last season under new coach Justin Holbrook.
Young, who has scored 20 tries in 23 appearances, has starred in his second season back in the Hunter and the parties are close to finalising a deal that will keep him in Newcastle until at least the end of 2030
While the 25-year-old is going nowhere, D’Acre has quietly departed after being granted a release.
A Hong Kong and Canada rugby representative at under-age level, he arrived at the Knights on a two-year contract after impressing talent scouts during the NRL’s week-long exhibition in the United States in 2025.
As a 20-year-old D’Acre won the Las Vegas combine – a series of tests North American athletes were put through to gauge their potential for a career in the NRL – and had attracted interest from Cronulla and North Queensland.
An Australian passport holder through his father, Nigel, who was born in Melbourne and represented the US in rugby league, D’Acre jnr scored three tries in six matches in the NSW Cup, playing mostly at centre.
But D’Acre’s bid to make it in the NRL is over. He is switching back to the 15-a-side sport, linking with Japanese rugby team Urayasu D-Rocks.
Knights director of football Chris James said D’Acre’s management had approached the club for a release after the offer from Japan.
He is joining the same club where code-hopper Folau spent the past five years and where former Wallabies Jordan Petaia and Samu Kerevi play.
The Las Vegas combine was shelved this year in the NRL’s third visit to the casino mecca to open its season. Attention was instead directed to the annual nines tournament there to showcase local talent, with an American All Stars college team competing.
The combine concept did not deliver an NRL player, but it did produce one in the NRLW.
Canadian Megan Pakulis, one of the women’s winners in 2024, went on to join the Gold Coast Titans and made three appearances last year.
An official announcement about the retention of England international Young, meanwhile, is expected before the Knights kick off their finals campaign.
Young’s career looked to have stalled at Bondi Junction, despite scoring 26 tries from 31 games for the Roosters. However, a mid-season transfer to the Knights last year has proven a prudent move.
He is also poised to play a major role in England’s Rugby League World Cup campaign. The two-metre flanker has been named in coach Brian McDermott’s squad alongside fellow NRL players Kai Pearce-Paul, Morgan Smithies, Jayden Brailey, Victor Radley, Billy Smith, Hugo Savala, AJ Brimson, Morgan Knowles, Herbie Farnworth, Max King and Ben Talty.
Knights enforcer Jacob Saifiti handed four-week ban for brutal high shot
Newcastle prop Jacob Saifiti is facing a season-ending ban after being handed a four-game suspension for hitting Warriors winger Luke Laulilii in the head.
Saifiti was issued a grade two reckless high tackle charge on Monday morning after he was sent off in the Knights’ 46-32 loss to the Warriors, while Laulilii was knocked out by the heavy 13th-minute shot.
The Knights’ last-round bye means Saifiti’s ban won’t begin until week one of the finals. His only hope of playing again this season is to challenge the suspension at the judiciary on Tuesday evening and risk a potential five-game ban.
Saifiti’s availability for Fiji in the end-of-season World Cup will depend on how deep Newcastle go in the finals and how many games of his suspension are served at club level.
