Three Penrith players have been dropped from the senior team and will play in the reserves, after the Panthers confirmed in a statement today the players in question had committed “a breach of team protocol”.
Captain and star fullback Matt Moylan, as well as Waqa Blake and Peta Hiku, will line up in the NSW Cup on the weekend, not against the South Sydney Rabbitohs in the NRL.
The Panthers’ brief statement reads as follows:
Matt Moylan, Peta Hiku and Waqa Blake will play for the Panthers against Newcastle Knights in the Intrust Super Premiership NSW on Saturday.
The players have been dropped from the Panthers NRL side following a breach of team protocol.
The club now considers the matter dealt with and will be making no further comment.
No concrete details have been confirmed on exactly what the breach of team protocol that led Moylan, Blake and Hiku to be dropped was, however the Sydney Morning Herald is reporting the players broke curfew after the Panthers’ loss to the Melbourne Storm on Saturday last weekend.
The Panthers have had an up-and-down season so far, having lost their matches against the Dragons, Roosters and Storm, but enjoying commanding wins against the Tigers in Round 2 (36-2) and the Knights in Round 4 (40-0).
Their next match, against the Rabbitohs, will be played at Penrith’s home ground, Pepper Stadium, at 7:50pm (AEST) on Friday night.
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