Nathan Cleary has taken to social media to share a graphic image of his injured finger, dislocated during a training session a month ago.
Holding his hand up to the camera, the 25-year-old’s ring finger on his right hand is shown to be bent unnaturally to the side above his first knuckle.
He shared the picture on Instagram on Monday, alongside many other pictures he had taken last month.
Fans were quick to comment about the injury, even saying it “should’ve come with a trigger warning”.
The injury, which Penrith Panthers deputy chairman Greg Alexander confirmed occurred during a training session, threatened to derail the team’s season.
However, Cleary’s finger was successfully “realigned”, and he went on to face Melbourne Storm several days later in the season’s prelim.
“A ball hit him in the tip of the finger at training, (it was) dislocated, and he couldn’t put it back in at training,” Mr Alexander told SEN 1170 Breakfast last month.
“(He) went to the medical centre, it was realigned, scans were clear, everything’s fine, players dislocate fingers quite regularly during games, not so much at training, but it happens occasionally.
“The training staff couldn’t get it back in at the ground. Sometimes the player can’t get it (the finger) in and has to leave the field to get it back in.”
Despite the injury being a “rarity”, the problem was quickly resolved after hospital scans confirmed it was a dislocation, ending fears Cleary would be unable to play in the blockbuster game.
The Panthers went on to win the 2023 NRL Premiership in a gripping 26-4 victory over the Broncos, with Cleary winning his second Clive Churchill medal after setting up two tries and scoring another in an all-time grand final performance.
He was ruled out of the Pacific Championships earlier this month due to a knee injury.