Cleary placed on report as Panthers march to sixth straight win

BlueBet Stadium: Nathan Cleary celebrated his contract extension by setting up arguably Penrith’s best try of the night during their 40-12 romp over Brisbane – but the pin-up was later placed on report for an awkward tackle on Billy Walters.

Cleary, whose future is secure at the foot of the mountains until 2027, was placed on report for a 65th-minute tackle on Billy Walters.

Cleary appeared to get his legs tangled around Walters before slamming him backwards into the ground.

It did not appear a hip-drop tackle, but the concerned look on Cleary’s face was enough to suggest he might have a case to answer.

“You cannot put your legs around [a defender] like that,” Andrew Johns said on the Nine coverage.

Billy Slater said there was no malice in the tackle and Johns quickly responded: “He’s not that sort of player Bill – we love him.”

James Fisher-Harris on the charge against the Broncos.Credit:Getty Images

A grade-one dangerous contact charge carries a $1000 fine, while even if the match review committee viewed it more seriously, the loss of Cleary would be unlikely to stop their devastating early-season form.

Penrith have now won their opening six games and should have little problems disposing of Canberra and the Gold Coast the next fortnight.

The most frightening thing is they were in an arm wrestle with the Broncos all the way until half-time, then put the afterburners on when they felt like it.

Cleary’s cross-field kick for Taylan May to collect on the half-volley was the pick of a decent bunch of four-pointers.

The May try helped Penrith stretch their lead to 22-6 as 19,406 fans quickly realised their beloved side were going to remain unbeaten. That is now 20 straight wins at BlueBet Stadium.

May has made the most of his call-up for the injured Brian To’o, and while he will never keep the Origin winger out of his spot once he overcomes a knee injury in the coming weeks, the 20-year-old has made an irresistible case to at the very least be retained on the bench.

Spencer Leniu scored a try from close range after Kobe Hetherington pulled Jarome Luai’s hair, and was given a shove for his troubles as Leniu ran past him the next play.

Brisbane only trailed 12-6 at half-time with Adam Reynolds’ kicking game outstanding and Kotoni Staggs continuing his red-hot form from seven nights earlier against the Sydney Roosters. It was fitting the pair combined for the Broncos’ first try to Tesi Niu, while the skipper set up Staggs for his own four-pointer in the second half.

Broncos centre Kotoni Staggs was again a handful in the centres.Credit:Getty Images

Luai scored for the Panthers before Scott Sorensen showed good footwork and a bit of toe to run 20m to give the Panthers the lead just before the break.

Dylan Edwards, who casually chalked up another 185 running metres, was sin-binned for slapping Broncos prop Keenan Palasai.

Referee Adam Gee asked the bunker official several times if the Edwards and Palasai slaps were being “classified as striking” before both men were given their timeout.

While some on the TV commentary box were stunned by the harsh penalties for a slap, the NRL made a point of binning players for the slap five years ago after it gained popularity following the banning of the biff.

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