Penrith coach Ivan Cleary claims Brisbane prop Tom Flegler should have been sent off for a high shot that knocked out Isaah Yeo in the Panthers’ 18-12 NRL win.
In far from their best night of the year, the Panthers missed a season-high 66 tackles as they saw an 18-0 lead almost evaporate in an almighty late scare.
But Cleary was filthy over referee Ben Cummins’ decision not to march Flegler in the ninth minute, instead only sin-binning him as Yeo was immediately ruled out of the game.
A frustrated Cleary claimed after the match that the benchmarks had changed since the start of the NRL’s crackdown, dating back to Magic Round two months ago.
“He’s knocked out as soon as he hit him. It’s an illegal act. That’s why he got sent to the bin,” Cleary said.
“So I don’t know what you’ve got to do to get sent off.
“If it was Magic Round he would have been sent off.
“Nothing against Flegler, but he hit him high and flush and knocked him out.
“What more do you need? It certainly affected us a lot worse than it did them.”
Yeo has a history of concussions, but Cleary said after the game the Panthers lock was doing alright.
The same couldn’t be said of the club’s defence after they recovered from a tryless first half to lead 18-0 after 56 minutes.
The 66 tackles they missed was the most of any team this year, and was well more than double their average of 27 for the season.
Brisbane forwards Kobe Hetherington and Ethan Bullemor both crashed through their middle late in uncharacteristic scenes, threatening a grandstand finish before Penrith held on.
“It’s far too many (misses),” Cleary said.
Cleary was less than impressed with his side’s missed tackles (Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images)
“It hasn’t been there all year. But it’s been a bit lately.
“The missed tackle can actually be a little bit out of context sometimes. I thought that was probably the case in the first half.
“In the second half it wasn’t out of context, we were missing tackles that we should have made.”
Regardless, the win was still enough to keep the Panthers level on points with Melbourne at the top of the ladder ahead of their blockbuster clash.
Much like the Panthers, the Storm had their own struggles in edging North Queensland on Friday night.
Nathan Cleary won’t return for that game, meaning the Panthers’ attack must also step up before then.
Their only first-half points came via a penalty goal and 42-metre two-point field goal from Dylan Edwards on the siren.
Viliame Kikau was menacing on the left edge throughout, setting up their first try when he put Brian To’o over after Tyrone May and Jarome Luai linked in the lead up.
Stephen Crichton also impressed on the right, setting up one try with a no-look flick for Charlie Staines and scoring the Panthers’ other himself.
“You’re never happy with a loss but from where we were last week to now against Penrith … we’ve made some big strides,” Broncos coach Kevin Walters said.
Pomoz
Roar Rookie
Well said Steveng, it makes the NRL crackdown look like a joke. All these "brave Bronco" headlines make me laugh. They take out our captain, our first receiver for most of our plays and get to play at home with no disruption to their team and still can't win. Brave? Pfft
Pomoz
Roar Rookie
Maybe, but against the Broncos they were not just missing Cleary. They were missing Korasaiu and Cleary. That is half the spine. They lost Yeo after 8 minutes and he plays as first receiver and is crucial to their attack. Finally they lost their replacement halfback May in the second half and had to reshuffle the spine again. Arrogant? How about resilient because they still won in spite of the foul play, injuries and disruption to their spine. All done while playing away from home at Suncorp.
souvalis
Roar Rookie
66 missed tackles yet only 3 line breaks against them..it really is a ball of fluff if the scramble effectively wipes out the initial gaffe.
Renegade
Roar Guru
Crazy talk.. Bellamy would absolutely still be concentrating on the panthers not only for next week but come the big games at season end. Penrith are just waiting for September now, I suspect Cleary has let them relax over the origin period to ensure no burnout…. They’ll be firing come finals time, the competition isn’t won in July.
matth
Roar Guru
That was a send off every day of the week. Good effort by Brisbane from that point. If Croft hadn’t decided to throw a forward pass instead of reaching out to score that could have got very interesting
Kilgore Trout
Roar Rookie
Even if the Panthers get beaten by the Storm this week there season is far from over . They have shown what they can do this season and it's more than enough to win it . Going into the finals in underdog mode may suit them just fine .
Paul
Roar Guru
really good comments.
Cam
Guest
When teams are at the top of the ladder, it can be a challenge to be 100% dialled in for 100% of their matches. The very best teams are consistent though, hence the Storm and Panthers long undefeated stretches over the past couple of seasons. Both teams were pushed by bottom of the ladder clubs this weekend, but I think it is the Panthers that look the most at risk. The Storm have been running hot this season, but looking at their last 6 matches their average for and against is 40-11. The Panthers on the other hand have dropped 2 of their past 6 matches and are running at 20-16 with their fore and against. I know stats only tell part of the story, but I find the Panthers missed tackles interesting. 6 weeks ago with their loss to the Tigers, the Panthers only missed 23 tackles. Working forward, they then missed 33, 30, 39, 43 and this week, a massive 66 tackles missed. Jarome Luai put his name next to 7 tackles on his own. And on Luai, in his past 6 matches he has come up with 0 tries, 0 line breaks, 4 tackle busts and 2 try assists. He just doesn't run the ball any more and has become a liability in defence. Yes the Panthers have been missing Cleary the past month, but don't expect him to be a silver bullet when he returns. The type of injury he has sustained and the rehab he has undergone puts him one decent knock from a full dislocation. He will be playing injured until he has surgery. They lose James Fisher-Harris for a few weeks, Yeo will be missing for God knows how long, Api will still be suspended for the Storm match and not sure when Nathan gets back? They had a dream run last Covid when they played almost all their matches at home, now they are in a bubble in Brisbane and we just don't know how they will respond. This time next week we will have a better idea, but my gut feeling is after resting some big names this week, Cam Munster and co might just have their way with the Panthers. Their run home is a horror show where they play 5 of their last 6 matches against top 8 teams. Sorry Panthers fans, I'm putting a line through them.
Phil
Roar Rookie
I'm only speculating as to what is going wrong with them. Sometimes when a team gets overconfident they can underestimate their opponents and not show the respect they should. It could be one thing, it could be a few, but they are off the boil.
Paul
Roar Guru
If they were becoming too cocky or over confident as you suggest, what do you think has brought them pack to the pack, Phil? I think youth is actually hurting them now. The resilience needed to play a full NRL season is one thing, but to play under the conditions teams have had to face this year is a completely different animal. Sides like the Storm who have so many leaders, can adapt far better than a side like the Panthers who leaders are still very much learning. Throw in the odd injury or suspension to key players and it's probably not surprising they're not quite the team they were in the first 10 rounds.
Paul
Roar Guru
They were very good in the early rounds Tony and for sure Bellamy and co would have been seriously concerned, given how well the Panthers were going. I think he's far less concerned now though.
Paul
Roar Guru
depending on who the Storm play. No Grant, no Munster and a very tentative Pappy the other night
Nat
Roar Guru
I read that, maybe Kevvie had the distorted view. His interchange was a bit hap hazard as well using 2 hookers in the first 40 and both off in the 2nd. Bulli getting half a dozen minutes. There didn't seem to be a plan.
kk
Roar Pro
When the head injuries test case gets to the courtroom we will remember the swinging round arm over the shoulder connections...and the cost.
jimmmy
Roar Rookie
Only if the Rabbitohs stop leaking points like a rusty radiator.
The Sporacle
Roar Rookie
I think the Panthers peaked round 11 in Dubbo me thinks :laughing: :thumbup:
jimmmy
Roar Rookie
Agree but Panthers will be well below full strength. No Cleary, Api , Yeo , JFH. If they lose in a close one they win, if you get my reasoning.
jimmmy
Roar Rookie
Nat my concern is Kevvy said it was Flegglers best game since he came to the Broncs . Was my TV distorting reality? . You guys had some good forwards but he was only average imo. Bullimore and Hetherimgton both looked great when they came on. Kennedy is a slow improver but he's starting to get there.
Phil
Roar Rookie
It could be the move north that has rattled them but I think it may be more of they were becoming too cocky, too full of themselves that some called confidence, others called arrogance. Cleary is a big loss but they should be able to cover him.
Big Mig
Roar Rookie
Penrith peaked a month ago (pre-Origin), since then they have been on a downward slide by virtue of off-field distractions (Api, JFH), Origin period losses (a demoralising loss to the Tigers!) and key injuries. I predict that next week against the Storm they will get smashed +30 points, and then will be beaten by the strong finishing Rabbitohs in round 23. It will be all over for them, they'll come 3rd on the ladder and no more (OAK Milk) chocolates.