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Opinion Penrith

Pink Panther

Juniors
Messages
301

Phil Gould has taken aim at the match review committee, claiming the suspension handed down to Panthers star Nathan Cleary was 'too long'.

The 24-year-old was sent off for a dangerous throw on Dylan Brown, with his hand between the legs and driving motion leading to a grade three charge and five games on the sidelines.

Cleary took full responsibility for the tackle, while his father and Penrith coach Ivan Cleary said he didn't have any problems with the send-off or subsequent ban.
But according to former Panthers boss Gould, the suspensions across the game are too harsh for accidental incidents.
"I think the suspensions are too long overall with most offences," he said on 100% Footy.
"I don't think we need good players out of the game for six weeks to remind them that that's not what you do.
"That's just an error of judgement. I know this Penrith tackling technique very well, he's probably thinking his other two players would support that player a little better than they did. They pulled away from it and he found himself in an awkward position.
"Does Nathan Cleary need six weeks away from the game to learn his lesson that that's the wrong tackle to make? He knew it six seconds after he did it that 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 don't get special treatment."
 

Stinkfinger

Juniors
Messages
595
Sean O’Sullivan and Kurt Falls are honestly going to have to play out of their skins in the next five rounds, or we risk not only losing the Minor Premiership, but also slipping to 6th and we’ve got a tough run home.
The worst Panthers can finish is 4th, and even that would require a lot of results not to go their way.
 
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Munky

Coach
Messages
10,451
I'm fairness to Bunniesman, the Broncos wouldn't have won in 93 if the great Ricky Stuart didn't break his ankle in the final round of the regular season.

Funnily enough I've been worrying about Cleary doing this since about round 14.

Instead he made sure he won't get injured in a game before the finals.

I can only assume it's a 4D chess move.
 
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Pink Panther

Juniors
Messages
301
The Broncos were paying huge amounts of money in those days and had very little to no scrutiny as far as salary cap or anything in the day; third party deals and external people handing over brown paper bags of money to the players.
 

Pink Panther

Juniors
Messages
301
True but some plyers are more important than others and also great teams have brown paper bags of money from many different sources to keep star players happy.
 
Messages
12,362
Funnily enough I've been worrying about Cleary doing this since about round 14.

Instead he made sure he won't get injured in a game before the finals.

I can only assume it's a 4D chess move.
He will be well rested and ready to go, probably moreso that last year when he had that shoulder issue. This bodes well for you guys if you can remain in 1st.
 
Messages
12,362
Champion teams do not rely on a single player.
That's a cute lil thing to say, but when that single player is the single greatest halfback and playmaker in the history of the game and he gets injured in the last round of the regular season, it's unlikely that team will be able to cover for him in time and win the comp. We proved we were a champion team the year after when we won the premiership with what's widely regarded as the greatest club team of all time. If Stuart stays healthy in 93, we win back to back. We smashed Brisbane a few weeks before the finals.

We also proved we were a champion team in 1990 when we went back to back without the greatest lock in the history of the game, Bradley Clyde. Except he got injured mid season and not the last round of the regular season, so we could cover for him in time.

The Knights wouldn't have won any premierships without Andrew Johns, and the Panthers damn sure can't win it without Cleary. Consider yourself enlightened.
 
Messages
2,574
That's a cute lil thing to say, but when that single player is the single greatest halfback and playmaker in the history of the game and he gets injured in the last round of the regular season, it's unlikely that team will be able to cover for him in time and win the comp. We proved we were a champion team the year after when we won the premiership with what's widely regarded as the greatest club team of all time. If Stuart stays healthy in 93, we win back to back. We smashed Brisbane a few weeks before the finals.

We also proved we were a champion team in 1990 when we went back to back without the greatest lock in the history of the game, Bradley Clyde. Except he got injured mid season and not the last round of the regular season, so we could cover for him in time.

The Knights wouldn't have won any premierships without Andrew Johns, and the Panthers damn sure can't win it without Cleary. Consider yourself enlightened.
Something called “breaching the salary cap” helped your 1990 team as well….

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Pink Panther

Juniors
Messages
301
Brisbane Cronulla, Manly, Melbourne and Canberra all cheated the salary cap when they won premierships but only Melbourne was stripped of their premierships go figure.
 

Iamback

Coach
Messages
17,215
He will be well rested and ready to go, probably moreso that last year when he had that shoulder issue. This bodes well for you guys if you can remain in 1st.

That is how I see it. Luai being out too means both can talk tactics, While the side does game prep
 

Fangs

Coach
Messages
11,447
Penrith could win it without Cleary, it all depends on your opposition.

If we face opposition like the 2014 Dogs or 2017 Cowboys it would be a walk in the park. You'd dead set have the boys practicing try celebrations all week to get on the highlight reel.
 
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