Origin coaches Billy Slater and Brad Fittler have been criticized for suggesting Nathan Cleary should be handed a lighter suspension because of his character and position in the game.
Cleary accepted a five-week ban following his sending-off for an ugly tackle on Eels star Dylan Brown at the weekend.
Slater, however, could not fathom Cleary being written off for an extended period of time.
Cleary accepts five-game ban | 00:45
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“Should we wipe our best players out of the competition for a quarter of the season because of a mistake they make?” Slater continued Channel Nine’s Billy’s Breakdown.
It was a sentiment echoed by Phil Gould.
“I don’t think we need good players out of the game for six weeks to remind them that’s not what you do,” he told 100% Footy.
“That’s just a misjudgment. I know that Penrith tackling technique very well, they probably think their other two players will support this player a bit better than them. They got away from him and he found himself in an awkward position.
“Nathan Cleary needs six weeks out of the game to learn his lesson which is the wrong tackle? Six seconds after he did it, he knew it was wrong.
“They probably want to send a message to the rest of the competition, they want it to look like the star players aren’t getting special treatment.”
St George forward Aaron Woods, however, was enraged by the stance.
“Freddy and Billy Slater were coming out and saying, ‘he’s a good guy and we don’t want to miss these good players before the semifinals,'” Woods told Triple M
“That’s bull shit if you ask me.
“I already had a previous position in Billy Walters earlier this year.
“I would have had four weeks, but I had it and this is another week.
“Freddy came out and said Liam Martin helped it a little bit, no, no. He took the tackle off and you see Cleary grab again and get a hand between the leg.
“That’s the difference from Karl Lawton earlier in the year … (that inning) he had a lot of drive, he swung around his waist with both hands and it was just a driving tackle and for luck (Cameron) Murray twisted and landed. very good position.
“Dylan Brown was still on the ground, you could see how hurt he was and he (Cleary) had every intention of it. Just because he goes on Instagram and says ‘I’m sorry and it was totally out of character’, that’s what happens in a rugby league field.
“Things can go one way or the other and obviously there was no malice, but that’s just part of the game.
Cleary GONE in the 18th minute! | 00:45
Woods said Cleary was far from a clean skin
“Just kidding, remember he got in trouble with TikTok? People forget that too. I put 10 in the bin the other week and was like ‘dude you shouldn’t have done that’ but everyone else was like “sucked”.
“If Jared Waerea-Hargreaves makes the spear tackle, we’d give him life in this game.
“It frustrates me, just because it’s the players they like – call a spade a spade.”
The NRL360 panel also took aim at those suggesting Cleary should receive special treatment.
“I heard Billy Slater talking after the game saying Nathan doesn’t need five weeks on the sidelines to realize he’s made a mistake, but you’ve got to get him off,” Paul Kent said on Monday night.
“You just have to do this.”
“What do you mean it doesn’t take five weeks to learn?” Braith Anasta asked.
“Because Nathan is smart enough to correct it and knows he’s screwed up,” Kent replied.
“But why was he saying, why was Billy Slater saying that,” Anasta replied.
“I didn’t agree with the five week sentence, I thought one or two weeks would have been enough,” Kent replied.
“Why is it Nathan Cleary?” Anasta asked.
“Because it’s Nathan Cleary, yes,” Kent said.
The Panthers will now play the rest of the regular season with Jarome Luai out with a knee injury and Cleary hit with a five-game suspension.