Former Broncos star Jharal Yow Yeh has offered hope for Nathan Cleary after the Panthers star suffered a devastating ankle injury. 

Cleary suffered a compound fracture of his left ankle in a hip-drop tackle by Newcastle's Phoenix Crossland during Sunday's preliminary final defeat 22-14.

He had already been playing with a broken right foot and will require several surgeries, with NRL fans nervously waiting for an update on his condition.

Yow Yeh suffered a catastrophic ankle injury while playing against South Sydney in Perth in 2012, underwent 10 operations and nearly two years of rehabilitation, and saw his career prematurely ended at the age of 24.

Speaking to Daily Mail, the former Queensland and Australian winger stressed that similarities between the sickening scenes did not necessarily mean the injuries would have the same outcome for Cleary.

'I actually don't think it'll be as bad as what a lot of people think,' Yow Yeh said.

His optimism came with an important qualification: he did not yet know the full extent of Cleary's injury.

For Yow Yeh, the incident on Sunday night brought back memories of the injury that abruptly halted his own rise through the game.

'I just feel so bad for him,' he said.

'I know that feeling. I know where he's at when you're sitting there and you're just helpless.

'You never think that that's gonna happen to you. I can guarantee you I never thought in my life that I would ever do something like that.'

He urged caution about direct comparisons, noting an ankle dislocation was a significant part of his own injury. 

'Mine was a dislocation of my ankle joint,' he said.

'So I think a lot of people are trying to throw similarities. I'm not sure if he's done that.'

He believed the precise nature of the fracture and any damage would be crucial, while acknowledging the potential complications when a broken bone pierces the skin.

'I think the complication part is because it has pierced skin, there is a chance there where you can get an infection,' he said.

Yow Yeh raised the question of how Cleary would feel when he eventually returned to the demands of professional football.

'It's just whether you'll have pain, I suppose, when he comes back, because we've gotta remember you're holding your body weight on your ankles, your legs,' he said.

'Keep in mind, I wasn't a kicker. I didn't kick the ball a lot like him. I didn't kick the goals. He's still a very healthy young man.'

Physiotherapist Brien Seeney, who provides injury analysis under the NRL Physio name, also highlighted the uncertainty surrounding an open fracture.

In his initial assessment on X, Seeney said the usual recovery range for ankle fractures and dislocations was three to four months, but warned Cleary's situation could be more complicated.

'The open nature of the injury increases the uncertainty here and it might not be so clear cut,' Seeney wrote.

He explained that an open wound greatly increased infection risk and would require a washout during surgery to reduce that risk.

Yow Yeh believed Cleary's access to the club's trusted medical specialists in Sydney was a reason for encouragement.

'He's got everyone that the club would trust in the vicinity,' he said.

'I've got no doubt that the club doctor or the surgeon would have been called immediately.

'We're talking about the best player in the world, right? Like, arguably best player in the world.'

He expected there would be no shortage of specialists willing to help the Panthers halfback.

'I can guarantee you there's that many surgeons putting their hands up to be inside that room to help,' he said.

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