NRL News: Panthers to cop hefty sanctions over latest dodgy trainer tactics, Payten lashes Cowboys over pathetic effort

The NRL must decide whether to suspend or fine the Penrith trainer who ran in front of Jayden Campbell before he missed a crucial conversion on the Gold Coast.

An apologetic Penrith remained adamant on Sunday that the incident had been an accident, with absolutely no intent or malice late in the Panthers’ 30-26 win.

The NRL will review the matter on Monday, as it does all in-game football issues, before a breach notice is expected to be handed down to the Panthers.

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There is a precedent for trainers to be suspended from matches, including Penrith’s Shane Elford and North Queensland’s Mitchell Dunn for squirting water on a ball earlier this year.

League bosses will decide on Monday whether fellow Panthers trainer Corey Bocking faces the same fate following Saturday’s matter.

After Gold Coast had scored to go ahead 26-24 with five minutes remaining, Bocking ran directly in front of Campbell after the Titans half had lined up his kick.

That prompted Campbell to have to go through his routine again, before missing the shot from the sideline that would have put the Titans four points up.

Nathan Cleary then nailed a superb two-point field goal to send the match to golden point for Penrith, before the Panthers won it with a Blaize Talagi try.

“Did it cost us the game? I don’t know,” Titans coach Des Hasler said of the trainer’s actions.

“He will get breached. That’s the only thing that’s going to come out of it.”

Penrith insisted afterwards the matter had been a mix-up, caused by confusion over an interchange.

That prompted the Panthers to call Bocking back to their bench to change which player was coming off the field, leading to him running in front of Campbell.

“He was in the wrong place at the wrong time. We had a sub and I changed it at the last minute,” Penrith coach Ivan Cleary said.

“He was trying to communicate with the bench for a late change. There’s a lot of stuff going on.

“That’s why there was a bit of confusion. It was an honest mistake. He apologised straight away.

“I’m happy to say we’ve apologised. It’s not something anyone set out to do.”

In 2021, Penrith physio Peter Green was suspended for incorrectly stopping play late in a semi-final win over Parramatta.

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The most recent instance of a trainer being sanctioned for interrupting a kick was in 2022, when the Eels were fined for one disrupting Cleary.

On that occasion Stephen Murphy ran from the Eels huddle and under the posts as Cleary attempted a sideline conversion.

Meanwhile, the Panthers are also sweating on scans on star lock Isaah Yeo’s shoulder and Luron Patea’s collarbone, set for Sunday afternoon.

Yeo was hurt in the first half, and despite playing on the Kangaroos captain finished the game on the sidelines.

Payten fed up with Cowboys surrendering

Todd Payten didn’t mince words when asked to sum up the Cowboys’ latest capitulation.

North Queensland completed just six of 14 sets in the first half of Sunday’s 32-12 loss to Cronulla, gave away five penalties and made seven errors as they fell out of the game in the opening 40 minutes.

They were regularly their own worst enemies, with one Sharks try coming in the set after Robert Derby was penalised for being active in front of the play-the-ball.

“We’re beating ourselves, that’s the simplest way I can put it,” Payten said.

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“There aren’t a lot of times this year that we’ve been outplayed. We’ve shot ourselves in the foot too often, and that’s highly frustrating.

“With the weight of possession there and a sin binning in the second half, the score line should have been worse.”

The Cowboys’ tiny playoff chances have now vanished as they sit in 13th spot on the NRL ladder, seven points behind the eighth-placed Dolphins with the Dragons and Tigers jumping ahead of them over the weekend.

They are not out of wooden spoon safety, just three points ahead of last-placed Souths with the Titans, Knights and Eels showing better form in recent weeks than Payten’s side.

Speculation is growing that he will be punted by the Cowboys at the end of the season despite being under contract for next year with former Maroons centre Josh Hannay the favourite to return to the club to turn their fortunes around.

with AAP

© AAP

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