Melbourne-based David Opar has worked with NRL players, while there is also Bill Knowles, the Philadelphia-based reconditioning guru who has spent time with Tom Trbojevic, Latrell Mitchell and Ryan Papenhuyzen. Trbojevic, however, injured his hamstring on Thursday night and is faces up to two months on the sideline.

Another option Penrith will discuss is the world-renowned sports medicine clinic Aspetar in Qatar, which has worked with many Premier League footballers, as well as some AFL players.

A hit-and-run trip overseas could also help Cleary mentally, especially knowing every option available to him had been properly explored.

Cleary only returned a fortnight ago from a hamstring injury, then was rested the following week because of the tight turnaround.

Cleary told this masthead last week there was no cause for concern with his hamstring, saying: “You could go into every game worrying about getting injured, and it’s a contact sport, but the hamstring is definitely not on my mind.”

For Penrith, it means they will need to move forward with Jarome Luai and Jack Cole. Back-up halfback Brad Schneider played NSW Cup on Friday and suffered a posterolateral corner injury, a knee ailment that could sideline him for anywhere between a fortnight and eight weeks.

NSW coach Michael Maguire will be sweating on Mitchell Moses playing at least one game before he picks his team in a fortnight for the Origin opener on June 5.

Moses is expected to test out his foot fracture for the first time at a field session any day in the hope he returns for next week’s Magic Round. If he fails, the Eels expect him to be right the following week against Souths.

Another No.7 option, Adam Reynolds, is out of play three months with a biceps tear.

Queensland are not without their own injuries with Tino Fa’asuamaleau, Kalyn Ponga and Tom Gilbert all unavailable this year.

Loading

“A few years ago we had a lot of debutants, and it was one of the most exciting periods in Origin,” Maguire said.

“There’s no reason why we don’t unlock someone that we don’t quite know about. That could be the opportunity for someone to come through and become a big part of Origin.

“We have a wider squad and that’s Origin. Over the years, this has happened. It’s about the culture you build.”

As for Moses, Maguire said: “He’s working hard to get himself back, and I’m hearing a lot of positives about how he’s going. That’s a good thing for where we are going.”