Cleary was hit with a grade two charge for his 38th minute shot on Wests Tigers winger Heamasi Makasini in the Panthers' 26-12 loss at Leichhardt Oval on Friday night.
The champion half has pleaded guilty to the charge but the Panthers believe they have sufficient evidence to get the downgrade to a grade one when they head to the judiciary on Monday night.
There is a lot riding on the outcome. If Cleary is successful he will be free to play Brisbane in the round one blockbuster at Suncorp Stadium on March 6.
If unsuccessful he will have one match added to his two-game suspension and will also miss the clashes with Cronulla in Bathurst and Sydney Roosters at Allianz Stadium in rounds two and three.
AAP understands the Panthers have noted that Makasini appears to slip slightly while being tackled and that Cleary does not leave the ground in making the tackle which led to him being sin-binned.
The Panthers did well to come from last position in round 13 of 2025 to reach the preliminary final against eventual premiers the Broncos.
The slow start to the season, where they lost seven of their first 11 games, meant that they qualified for the finals in seventh despite their late run of victories.
However, it left them with too much to do and out of gas against the Broncos where they gave up a 14-0 lead to lose 16-14.
The Panthers' hopes of a fast start this season will be assisted by having their best players on the park which is why Cleary's presence against the competition heavyweights in the early rounds is so important to their cause.
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