Penrith Panthers star Nathan Cleary has escaped any punishment for a dangerous throw on Brisbane Broncos playmaker Ezra Mam.
In the opening half of the Panthers’ shock 14-12 defeat at CommBank Stadium on Thursday night, Cleary drove Mam hard into the turf.
The tackle drew fury from Broncos players, with one player heard saying to the referee: “That’s like the 10 weeks he got last time”.
It’s understood that the line is in reference to the five-week ban Cleary received in 2022 for his dangerous throw on Dylan Brown.
The Panthers No. 7 was placed on report and faced a nervous wait for Friday’s findings.
However, the Match Review Committee didn’t even charge him for the tackle as it handed down its findings on Friday.
Instead, his teammate Freddy Lussick was the only Penrith player charged from Thursday’s match.
He was charged with a grade one dangerous tackle on Broncos prop Payne Haas in the 46th minute.
Lussick received a fine and is free to play the Eels next Thursday.
Broncos prop Ben Talty also was fined for a careless high tackle on Scott Sorensen but is free to play next week.
Originally published as Nathan Cleary escapes ban for tackle on Ezra Mam as teammate charged