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'It became contagious': Ivan Cleary's big concern ahead of NRL finals

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29th August, 2021
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A lack of match practice could be blamed for a shocking Penrith error count as the Panthers welcomed back several stars in their NRL win over Wests Tigers.

But coach Ivan Cleary was hesitant to blame rustiness for the dropped balls he said became ‘infectious’ among 17 mistakes during the 30-16 win at Redcliffe which moved the Panthers to equal top of the NRL ladder.

NSW Origin winger Brian To’o scored and racked up 265 running metres in his return from syndesmosis surgery, while prop James Fisher-Harris started his first game in a month.

Viliame Kikau was moved back to the bench for Liam Martin to start, creating more change in the side that has been riddled with injuries and suspensions for the past few months.

Halfback Nathan Cleary notched up 1000 career points with his second goal of the day, but the milestone was overshadowed by five uncharacteristic errors from the consistent star.

Jarome Luai and Kikau also contributed to the high incompletion rate.

With one week to play before finals, coach Cleary hopes it was just a bad day.

“We created chances everywhere but we dropped the ball 17 times today and that doesn’t include knock down in try-scoring situations,” he said.

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“If you make 17 errors you’re not going to beat a top-eight side.

“Maybe, it’s just one of those days.

“We had guys dropping the ball who normally wouldn’t and it became contagious.”

Regardless of how they won, the victory moved Penrith to equal top of the ladder with Melbourne with the minor premiership up for grabs next week.

The Storm have already indicated they will rest a number of their stars against Cronulla on Friday night.

The Panthers have opted instead to rather rest players from training, but Cleary said he would not make selection decisions based on what silverware is up for grabs against Parramatta.

He did however say there is importance in claiming the JJ Giltinan Shield.

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“It’s a great achievement, minor premierships, to finish the regular rounds on top shows you’re the most constant team through the year,” he said.

“We were honoured to win it last year and anyone who wins it should be congratulated.

“Having said that, the most important thing at the moment is the finals.”

Meanwhile, Canterbury coach Trent Barrett has admitted the two off-field incidents that hit the NRL club during the week affected preparations for Sunday’s clash against Manly.

The Bulldogs put up a spirited display before falling to a 36-18 defeat to the Sea Eagles after a week where Adam Elliott and Lachlan Lewis were both stood down in unrelated incidents.

Elliott has been handed a breach notice by the club after being fined by the NRL for an incident involving NRLW player Millie Boyle which led to the backrower being kicked out of a Gold Coast restaurant last week.

Lewis meanwhile was reportedly in hot water for putting a speaker for sale online that had originally been provided by the NRL to the club while in the Queensland hub.

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The incident is being investigated by the NRL’s integrity unit, with officials trying to ascertain if it was a practical joke gone wrong.

Barrett refused to comment on the specifics of the Lewis incident but said there was no doubt it had been a bad few days for the last-placed club.

“You don’t need those distractions,” he said.

“The club certainly doesn’t need any adverse publicity as well so that was disappointing, but you saw the effort from the players today, they do care a lot about their performance and they’re disappointed in the sheds again.

“It’s been a tough week.”

Canterbury will get one last chance to snap a 10-game losing streak when they face Wests Tigers next weekend in their final fixture of the 2021 season.

Barrett said after some positive signs in recent weeks, it would be a boost to all at the Bulldogs if they can end their year on a victorious note.

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“It’d be nice,” he said.

“That game should have been a hell of a lot closer there.

“Next week’s a big one for us. We’ll throw everything we can into trying to finish the season with a win.”

© AAP

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