Panthers co-captain Nathan Cleary won’t be suspended for a shoulder charge on Jack Bird in last night’s win for Penrith.

Cleary says “I was caught in an awkward position which made it look bad but there was no malice in it”.

St George Illawarra Dragons coach Anthony Griffin was adamant last night that the referees made the wrong call on field, but the Penrith playmaker has got off without being charged.

Cleary made his return from a shoulder injury last night and had an instant impact on the side’s from steering them to a 34-16 win.

But lots of work has gone into the return of the star halfback.

He says “the first few weeks was all about resting the shoulder, then it was about strengthening those muscles around the shoulder and the last two weeks was about preparing for contact”.

“All the hard work done behind the scenes by the physio staff helped me go into last night’s clash feeling pretty confident that the shoulder would be fine”.

Cleary revealed the focus at the Panthers over the next month is about getting their footy back to where they want it to be.

Strengthening his shoulder continues to be a priority for the star playmaker.

Image: Penrith Panthers