Strike two: Panthers trainer who stopped play against Eels warned before

The Penrith trainer at the centre of an NRL investigation could be suspended for Saturday night’s preliminary final against Melbourne following revelations that he was issued a show-cause notice for unnecessarily stopping play earlier in the year.

The Herald can also reveal that Penrith trainer Pete Green wasn’t even on the field when he asked the touch judge to stop play to treat injured hooker Mitch Kenny, despite the NRL rules stating the trainer must carry out an “initial assessment” before asking for the game to be brought to a halt due to “serious injury”.

The NRL are investigating the Panthers to determine whether they deliberately breached the game’s rules for a strategic advantage when Saturday night’s semi-final against Parramatta was stopped, leaving Eels officials seething after the game.

While Penrith managed to get time called off for three different incidents, the main point of conjecture came in the pivotal dying moments of the game with the Eels on the attack, trailing by two points and looking to keep their season alive.

Parramatta were ropeable as to why, despite Kenny suffering an ankle injury that will rub him out of next week’s game, time was stopped to attend to a player who was injured in back play and didn’t have an impact on the set of six.

“It’s not the referees’ responsibility to determine if a player is seriously injured or not,” NRL head of football Graham Annesley said.

Eels captain Clint Gutherson questions Ashley Klein as to why time was called off for Panthers trainer Pete Green to attend Mitch Kenny in back play.Credit:NRL Photos

“They act on the advice of the trainer. There are rules governing when trainers can and can’t stop the game. We’ll be looking closely at that and other incidents out of the game to see if there was a breach of the rule or not.”

It was one of a number of issues that led to Parramatta coach Brad Arthur voicing his frustration with the officials in the post-match press conference, including the decision not to send Jarome Luai to the sin bin for pulling back Mitch Moses from chasing a Blake Ferguson kick in the second half.

Arthur called Penrith coach Ivan Cleary on Sunday morning to inform his counterpart that his post-match rant wasn’t an attack against the Panthers nor the validity of their win.

At the time, the Eels had an eight-on-six overlap to the left. However, the decision to call time off for trainers to attend to Kenny allowed the Panthers’ defence to regroup and add substitute Tevita Pangai jnr into what would have been a 12-man defensive unit.

Two Parramatta trainers (circled) are the only trainers on the field seconds before time was called off for Mitch Kenny (circled right).Credit:Nine

When time was called off by Klein, the Panthers trainers weren’t even by Kenny’s side. The only trainers on the field when the Panthers called time off were two of Parramatta’s.

“No, you can’t stop the play,” Eels legend Peter Sterling fumed during Nine’s broadcast, before adding to his views in the post-game show.

“That was late in the game when you are on a roll, it is third tackle. The worst thing that can happen to you with the football in your hand is for the opposition to get a rest. His was foot was stood on. He did leave the field, it worked.”

The Herald can reveal this is the second time Green has been on the NRL’s radar after he was issued with a please-explain for calling time off with Cronulla on the attack back in round 14.

The incident involving Viliame Kikau, which infuriated Nine commentators Phil Gould and Brad Fittler at the time and was labelled “ridiculous” by Cronulla coach Josh Hannay in the post-match press conference, halted the Sharks’ momentum as they were attacking the line.

“That should not be allowed. It’s an ankle injury,” Gould said during Nine’s commentary in June. “That part of the rules really has to be looked at. That’s terrible. Really terrible. That took away all their momentum, the Sharks. They had the Panthers on the rack. Put down a try-saver for the physiotherapist. The physio played his role in the defensive line.”

Fittler echoed Gould’s sentiment at the time, and again after Penrith’s win against Parramatta on Saturday night.

“When did the game give the power to trainers, who are totally controlled by coaches, to be able to stop a game?” Fittler asked. “That has got to be taken away.”

Penrith trainer Pete Green was warned against unnecessarily stopping the play earlier in the year when Villiame Kikau injured his ankle against Cronulla in round 14.Credit:NRL Photos

The trainers were given greater powers after Gavin Badger and Grant Atkins were heavily criticised for not calling time off soon enough in a game in 2019 when Cowboys winger Nene Macdonald fractured his ankle. He was later take from the field on a stretcher.

Under NRL rules the trainer can stop play by communicating with the touch judge – who then informs the head referee – only if there is a head injury or a doctor is required on field to treat a serious injury.

In the NRL’s 2021 operations manual, under the subclause “serious injuries”, it is stated that: “Only players, match officials and registered trainers are permitted on the field of play while a match is in progress. Should an injury necessitate a doctor coming onto the field, the head trainer who carries out the initial assessment is to attract the attention of the nearest touch judge who can electronically communicate with the referee to advise him that the injury is serious.

Nothing left in the tank: Parra’s Reagan Campbell-Gillard.Credit:Getty

“The referee must stop play before a doctor or any other medical assistance can enter the field of play … Any trainer who attempts to unnecessarily stop play for tactical reasons will not only be liable to penalty under the provisions of the NRL rules, but may also be ordered from the playing area for the remainder of the match.”

Fighting Eels put commitment question to rest

A month ago, the Parramatta Eels were in freefall. Their coach, Brad Arthur, had his head firmly on the chopping block.

Eels officials during that period maintained they supported the coach, but there was an undeniable sense within the game that Arthur’s time at the blue and gold would come under major scrutiny if his team embarrassed itself in the finals.

After Saturday night’s performance, it’s hard to imagine why the Eels would do anything but continue with Arthur at the helm.

The biggest concern over the Eels was a perceived mental softness. Their ability to turn things around when all seemed lost a month ago speaks volumes to the character of the men in charge of the football department and the players in it.

While they bowed out in the second week of the finals yet again, it wasn’t on the back of a performance that left fans questioning how much was still left in the tank.

Question marks remain over the strength of their roster, but after the heartbreaking loss to Penrith on Saturday night, there is no questioning the commitment. That may be enough to allow Arthur the time to finish the job he started.

Panthers’ official complaint

It’ll be interesting to see how Saturday night’s preliminary final between Melbourne and Penrith will be adjudicated.

The Panthers have been carrying resentment towards the NRL and match officials for 12 months, holding a belief that last year’s grand final against the Storm was officiated differently to the previous 23 weeks.

The Panthers, who got blown out of the park against the Storm in the opening half of last year’s decider, believe they got taught a lesson in big-game manipulation.

They felt referee Gerard Sutton kept the whistle in his pocket, allowing the Storm players time to lie all over the Panthers in the ruck to slow the tempo of the match and limit the potency of Penrith’s attacking juggernaut.

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