BREAKING: NRL issues huge fine and ban over trainer blunder as Panthers respond

"He knew what he was doing!" | 01:23

The NRL have fined the Panthers $50,000 and suspended their trainer Corey Bocking for five games for impeding Titans star Jayden Campbell in the act of kicking a goal.

FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every game of every round in the 2025 NRL Telstra Premiership, LIVE with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer >

In a statement on Monday the NRL said trainer Corey Bocking “unnecessarily interfered with and distracted Gold Coast Titans player Jayden Campbell as he was attempting a conversion kick, in breach of the NRL Operations Manual and NRL Code of Conduct.”

“The proposed penalty takes into account previous breaches by Penrith Panthers trainers,” the statement read.

“The NRL Rules permitting Club trainers onto the field will be monitored and strictly enforced by the NRL.

“The club will have five days to respond to the breach notice.”

The Panthers released a statement of their own in reply, declaring the incident an “honest mistake” with no intent to gain an advantage.

“The trainer immediately apologised upon realising the error,” the Panthers said.

“The circumstances involved a late change and in-the-moment confusion, but we understand that does not excuse the outcome.

Earlier Phil Rothfield said the NRL should come down harshly on the Panthers and Bocking.

MORE NRL NEWS

CRAWLS: Rap sheet that should count against Penrith in ‘unforgivable’ new drama

TALKING POINTS: Legend’s shock Walsh call; Storm doubts after ‘yips’

‘NO, I’M GOOD’: Luai’s cheeky response to touching Galvin moment as Benji weighs in

Dogs livid with Tigers 'derogatory' cele | 00:43

The trainer caused uproar when he ran right in front of Campbell as he lined up for goal. Campbell would end up missing the kick which would have given the Gold Coast a 28-24 lead. Instead, the Panthers forced golden point and won the game.

Panthers coach Ivan Cleary apologised to the Titans but claimed it was an accident. Unfortunately for the Gold Coast, the apology does nothing to change the result.

Rothfield says the incident “wasn’t in the spirit of the game” and expects the NRL to hand down some tough penalties to the Panthers.

“They have to come back hard on the trainer don’t they?” Rothfield said on the Big Sports Breakfast radio show.

“What happened with the trainer definitely comes under the category of not being in the spirit of the game. I won’t say it was deliberate because I can’t prove that it was but it certainly looked like a tactic to put the kicker off.

“I think they have to come down very heavily on the club and the trainer and suspend him a couple of weeks and probably a $20,000 fine.

Panthers trainer Corey Bocking runs directly in front of Jayden Campbell as the Titans star lines up for goal. Source: Supplied

“I spoke to key people at the NRL on Saturday night and they were furious about what happened and they will come down hard on the Panthers.

“It was unacceptable what happened. If you let him go off lightly, it’ll start happening around the game. You have to make sure that no one ever does that again.”

Campbell’s conversion missed right and he was furious, throwing the kicking tee in frustration.

NRL legend Brad Fittler opined on Channel 9 that Campbell should have been given another shot attempt right in front.

“You look at Jayden’s response, that is the best response to look for as to how much trouble he should get into,” Fittler said.

“It’s interesting what the law could say, you could nearly say, because of the misdemeanour, you get the goal from in front.

“It’s a shame they didn’t do it. The responsible thing would have been, you saw the reaction from Jayden Campbell, move the kick in front.”

In response to Fittler’s comments, Rothfield explained that under the NRL’s current rule book, there was no scope for the referee to give the Titans another attempt from in front.

However, he thinks it is something the league’s powerbrokers should consider.

Panthers win CRAZY game on golden point | 01:36

“I think that’s a great idea,” Rothfield said.

“I checked with the NRL and there is no rule that would have allowed the referee to do a rekick from the position he was in, but the NRL are renowned for changing rules on the run.

“You know what it’s like with pressure at the business end of the season, the clubs will get up to anything for even the slightest advantage and I feel that’s what happened here.”

It’s not the first time a Panthers trainer has been embroiled in controversy this season.

Back in May, Penrith trainer Shane Elford was caught red-handed spraying a football with liquid before the opening kick off of the first golden point period.

“Penrith are up there with one of the greatest rugby league sides I’ve ever seen. They don’t need the rubbish the other day to win football games,” Rothfield continued.

“I don’t think they’re cheaters, although they’ve had a couple of trainer incidents that have been poor.”

The incident has sparked plenty of debate on whether Bocking’s actions were deliberate or an innocent mistake.

Fox League’s Bryan Fletcher and Nathan Hindmarsh couldn’t agree.

“He knew what he was doing,” Fletcher said.

“No he didn’t. That was an honest mistake,” Hindmarsh responded.

Click here to read article