Nathan Cleary will miss Penrith's headline clash against the Sydney Roosters as the Panthers put his fitness for the NRL's finals first.
Less than an hour after losing Tevita Pangai for personal reasons, Ivan Cleary confirmed his son Nathan's comeback from a shoulder injury had also been pushed back.
It means the Panthers will role out Matt Burton and Jarome Luai in the halves again against the Roosters as they cling onto a shot at the minor premiership.
"He won't play tomorrow but he had another really good week at training and he's very close," Ivan said.
"We don't really have an exact timeline, it's just a matter of going through the processes, ticking boxes, getting him confident in as many areas as we can.
"Which we've done again this week, but he's just not quite ready.
"We're just tracking well and we're just going along with the process we have always had in mind."
Cleary hasn't played since he suffered a labral tear in his right shoulder in NSW's win in State of Origin II and is now attempting to get through the rest of the season without surgery.
The news came after Pangai's Penrith debut was pushed back after he returned home to be with his partner in Brisbane for personal reasons.
"Tevita and his partner Anna are currently dealing with a deeply personal and sensitive matter," Penrith said in a statement.
"Panthers are providing Tevita and Anna all the necessary support."
Pangai only joined Penrith from Brisbane in late July on a brief two-month deal, before heading to Canterbury next year.
His exit from the bubble was negotiated with authorities.
