Penrith Panthers star Casey McLean will be sidelined for up to a month with the quad injury that ruled him out of Wednesday’s State of Origin clash … but he’ll still play a crucial role in camp.
McLean was ruled out on Saturday just before the Blues flew to Melbourne from the Central Coast, with the injury initially expected to keep him out for just 7-10 days.
However, the quad strain has proven more serious than first thought, with the star now facing up to a month on the sidelines.
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Despite the setback, McLean will join Laurie Daley’s squad in Melbourne, with Channel 7 cameras spotting McLean making a late-dash to the city on Tuesday.
The Blues are hoping McLean can provide inspiration and support for his teammates.
“A lot of them still wanted me to come down and I suppose they wanted to go as well. So it was kind of cool that they still wanted me to be a part of it,” McLean told 7NEWS.
“I suppose, when you do go down with an injury, the colours do show, you know, and they’ve been behind me ever since.
“And (for me to) still go down there and support them and kind of do my part that way (means a lot).”
The Blues have pulled out all stops to motivate the squad ahead of tomorrow night’s crucial match, with Aussie NBA star Josh Giddey attending their captain’s run today.
But they’ve gone one better for Tuesday night’s team dinner, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese set to address the group in an exclusive appearance.
If that doesn’t fire up the Blues for tomorrow night’s Origin clash, nothing will.
