The sportsmanship of a Penrith Panthers trainer has been questioned for a second time this season following a bizarre incident during Saturday’s golden-point win over the Gold Coast Titans.
The Titans clawed their way back from 24-0 down to lead 26-24 with five minutes remaining when Panthers’ trainer Corey Bocking ran in front of Jayden Campbell as he lined up a sideline conversion.
The crowd inside Cbus Super Stadium booed Bocking, who was wearing a yellow shirt, as Campbell also made his feelings known.
Campbell missed the kick, Nathan Cleary slotted a two-point field-goal a few minutes later, then Blaize Talagi sealed the premiers’ eighth straight win in golden point.
The NRL have already taken a dim view of the trainer’s actions, and the club – and Bocking himself – risk being fined. There is no suggestion the Panthers will be stripped of the two competition points.
Another Panthers’ trainer, Shane Elford, was banned for a game this year after he was caught on cameras squirting a football with a water bottle in Townsville. The Panthers were fined $10,000 and Elford his suspended one match.
A Panthers trainer runs into the path of Jayden Campbell as he lines up a conversion.Credit: Fox Sports
Panthers coach Ivan Cleary was apologetic after the game and described Bocking’s act as an “honest mistake”.
“He was in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Cleary said. “We had a sub that we were going to do, but I changed it at the last minute. That’s what he was doing. He was trying to communicate with the bench because it was a late change, and there’s a lot of stuff going on there to make sure we didn’t make the change we were going to.
