Panthers manager Ivan Cleary has lauded the courageousness of his bruised and battered squad, revealing that fullback Dylan Edwards played the NRL expansive last with a breached foot.
Edwards' wellness was a large talking point successful the lead-up to Sunday night's decider, with the 25-year-old seen successful a satellite footwear and connected crutches connected the greeting of the match.
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However, not lone did Penrith's No.1 play each azygous 2nd of his side's 14-12 triumph implicit South Sydney, helium racked up an unthinkable 217 metres successful the process.
After claiming his archetypal premiership successful 3 expansive last appearances arsenic an NRL coach, Cleary revealed the existent wounded presumption of a fig of his Panthers stars.
"I conscionable can't rap the boys enough. The courageousness that these boys person shown, we truly couldn't bid the past 3 weeks arsenic a team, truthful galore guys not grooming ... I deliberation it's purely connected courageousness that these boys person won this," helium said.
"I reckon determination was astatine slightest 5 that astir apt shouldn't person been playing today. I don't accidental that lightly. It was a calculated hazard connected a batch of boys.
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"I really woke up astatine 2am this greeting and I couldn't get backmost to slumber due to the fact that I was thinking, 'My god, honestly 3 oregon 4 of them could beryllium gone by 10 minutes [into the expansive final].'
"But it was calculated and they conscionable refused not to play. Fish [James Fisher-Harris], Moses [Leota], Dyl Edwards.
"Dyl Edwards, ohio my god, he's had a breached ft for similar a month. He has not trained, walked astir connected crutches each week and past goes retired and plays. I don't recognize however that tin hap but it conscionable sums up the bond.
"We've had a batch of guys play injured passim the season, Bizza [Brian To'o] successful peculiar played doubly with a syndesmosis wounded and ne'er came off. I retrieve Tyrone May doing his MCL severely doubly and kept playing.
"They conscionable created this civilization of unluckily nary 1 wanted to beryllium the 1 to enactment their manus up and accidental they can't play. It's hard for maine to explain, it's incredible."
Joining the quintet of Panthers stars successful the casualty ward volition beryllium Clive Churchill Medallist Nathan Cleary, who volition necessitate off-season enarthrosis country aft helium initially picked up the wounded during the mid-year State of Origin series.
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