The New Zealand Warriors may be forced to hand young halfback Jett Cleary his NRL debut next weekend after another injury blow to their halves in Saturday night’s loss to Canterbury.
The 32–14 defeat at Accor Stadium not only cost the Warriors their place in the top four – with the Penrith Panthers leapfrogging them into the spot – but also left halfback Te Maire Martin sidelined by a category-one concussion.
Martin was forced from the field after just 23 minutes following a heavy head clash with Bulldogs halfback Lachlan Galvin, and will spend at least 11 days on the sidelines under concussion protocols – ruling him out of next week’s clash with the Dragons in Auckland.
With regular halfback Luke Metcalf already out for the season with an ACL injury, Webster will likely recall Tanah Boyd to the starting side after he was dropped to NSW Cup to make way for Martin.
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However, this latest setback could also open the door for young Jett Cleary to make his potential first-grade debut for the Warriors.
The 20-year-old brother of Penrith star Nathan Cleary has impressed since his mid-season promotion to the NSW Cup from Jersey Flegg, retaining his halfback spot even after Boyd was demoted and moved to five-eighth.
That positional move has only intensified speculation that Jett Cleary is next in line for a first-grade call-up, now sitting ahead in the pecking order.
The young playmaker has featured seven times in NSW Cup this year, helping the Warriors maintain a record-breaking winning streak in reserve grade, and was again a standout in Saturday’s 34-30 win over the Bulldogs’ NSW Cup side.
However, the Warriors’ coaching staff remain cautious. Assistant coach David Tangata-Toa praised Cleary’s progress last week but emphasised the challenges of making the step up to NRL level.
"He's developing really nicely and no doubt there's NRL in the future," Tangata-Toa told Sport Nation NZ.
"There's some challenges around him playing against bigger bodies and older men."