Magic Sponge Podcast - Offseason injury special + every Nathan Cleary question answered!

Brien (NRL Physio) and James are back to review all the injuries out of the finals series and cover every angle of Nathan Cleary's significant ankle injury!

0:00 - Intro

NATHAN CLEARY

7:04 - The Injury: Latest Update and What It Means
Fibula fractured, tibia intact, Ankle forced through the skin (open joint, not a classic compound fracture), Syndesmosis ruptured

18:31 - The Tackle
Hip drop mechanism - Role of the second tackler
Did the right foot contribute?
Worst hip drop we've seen? Punishing injury?

26:35 - Surgery
Washout and debridement, Straight to fixation, no ex-fix, dye on leg?
Syndesmosis screws vs TightRope - Screw removal before return?

31:01 - The Right Foot
"Stress-related bone issue" to "Jones fracture"

34:47 - Rehab: Bilateral Non-Weight Bearing
Daily living challenges
DVT risk, Atrophy and deconditioning

38:52 - Complications
Infection: joint vs bone, Wound healing and nerves, Hardware issues, Stiffness and long-term OA

41:28 - Recovery Time
Surgeon's target: Round 1 to 4 - realistic?

46:00 - Return to Play and Performance
Halfback demands, Kicking, Change of direction
Career altering?

48:49 - Comparisons
Jharal Yow Yeh
Pure open ankle fracture dislocation case studies

53:09 - Contract talk
Is he still worth $1.7 million?

56:51 - Other injury updates - Connor Watson, Dylan Edwards, Blaize Talagi, Isaiya Katoa, Jeremiah Nanai

59:44 - Questions

For Isaah Yeo with a delayed repair would he likely be looking at a graft? What’s the literature like on that?

What do you think of Billy Slater’s theory around hip drops / fatigue in the game causing them? Is it the game is too fast?

Top 10 NRL SuperCoach draft picks for 2027?