"Greatest beat-up": Is Penrith's punishment excessive?

SEN’s Corey Parker believes the NRL have come down too hard on the Penrith Panthers and trainer Corey Bocking following the controversial incident against the Gold Coast Titans.

Gold Coast’s Jayden Campbell was lining up for a conversion to extend his side’s two-point advantage when Bocking ran just a few metres in front of Campbell. After a slight protest, Campbell reset himself and sprayed the conversion wide right.

The NRL rulebook only states that players cannot interfere with a conversion with no reference to third parties including trainers.

After much debate, the NRL issued the Panthers a breach notice and offered a $50,000 fine and a five-match suspension for Bocking. Whilst Parker believes the NRL were right to penalise the Panthers, he feels the sanction is overblown.

“I personally think that it’s far too big,” Parker said on SENQ Breakfast.

“It’s way over the top from the NRL. I do expect a rule change to now come off the back of this incident.

“The Panthers have up to five days to appeal and all they’d be appealing is the severity of the fine.”

Current Bulldogs General Manager and rugby league icon Phil Gould also joined in the chorus of those who believe the punishment is excessive.

Speaking on 100% Footy, Gould believes the NRL have succumbed to pressure from fans and social media.

“It’s the greatest beat-up I have ever seen in rugby league,” Gould said.

“This is a perfect example of how officialdom can be influenced by social media and what the fans say.

“The fans were blowing up long before anyone in rugby league was worried about it.

“The trainer is out there to do a job and sometimes, they get in the way.

“A $50,000 fine and suspended for five games? Give me a break.”

NRL issue massive breach notice to Panthers over trainer incident

The NRL have offered the Penrith Panthers a $50,000 fine and a five-match suspension for their trainer after an incident with Jayden Campbell in Saturday’s clash on the Gold Coast.

The NRL alleges the trainer “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 large penalty takes into account previous incidents by Panthers’ trainers in previous years, and the NRL will closely monitor the rules around trainers in light of the incident.

In response, the Panthers issued a club statement in light of the breach. Penrith Panthers has today received a breach notice from the NRL in relation to the actions of a club trainer during the Round 22 match.

“The club is adamant that the actions of the trainer were an honest mistake and there was no intent to breach the rules or gain an advantage. The trainer immediately apologised upon realising the error,” the official Panthers statement said.

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

“The club will not make any further comment on the matter at this time.”

The incident occurred after Phillip Sami scored a crucial try in the 73rd minute to put the Titans ahead, Campbell prepared to take a conversion attempt that would extend the Gold Coast’s lead to four with five minutes to go.

However, as Campbell prepared to take the conversion, the Panthers’ trainer ran in front of Campbell on his way back to the bench from the team’s huddle.

Campbell ultimately missed the attempt, and the Panthers went on to equalise and win the match in Golden Point.