Nathan Cleary facing five-week ban after send-off for dangerous spear tackle

• Penrith star sent off for dangerous throw in 34-10 loss to Parramatta
• Cleary unlikely to return until semi-finals of Panthers' title defence

Star playmaker Nathan Cleary will go into Penrith's finals campaign cold after receiving a five-game suspension for his spear tackle on Parramatta's Dylan Brown.

Cleary was sent off for the first time in his career in Friday's 34-10 loss to the Eels and won't play again during the regular season. He was handed a grade-three dangerous throw charge by the NRL's match review committee on Saturday morning.