Nathan Cleary has been cleared to play for the Penrith Panthers in Round 1 after NRL fans were left questioning why Reece Walsh didn’t cop a suspension for three incidents of head contact in just seven weeks last year. Cleary initially copped a two-game ban on Saturday, but it was thrown out at the NRL judiciary on Monday night and downgraded to a fine.
Clearly collected Heamasi Makasini with a high shot in Penrith’s pre-season game against the Wests Tigers on Friday night, but the Panthers successfully proved that first contact was to the shoulder rather than head. The Panthers also pointed out that Makasini didn’t require a head injury assessment.
Reece Walsh dodged a ban last year, and Nathan Cleary has now had the same fate. Image: Getty
Cleary and the Panthers ran the risk of copping an extra game on the suspension if he failed at the judiciary, which would have sidelined him until Round 4. But a downgraded charge has now resulted in a monetary fine only.
The NRL world is divided over whether Cleary’s hit deserved a suspension. And many are pointing out that Broncos superstar Walsh dodged a ban despite three incidents in under two months last year.
Walsh head-butted Raiders star Hudson Young in the first week of the NRL finals, and then made contact with Xavier Coates’ head with his shoulder during the grand final against the Melbourne Storm. He then collected Dom Young in the head with his shoulder in the Ashes series between Australia and England.
Despite the three incidents, Walsh was never suspended and didn’t even get charged for the Dom Young contact. He was sin-binned for that and the Hudson Young head-butt, but was allowed to stay on the field in the grand final.
Reece Walsh escaped suspension despite three incidents at the end of last year. Image: Getty/Channel 9
Reece Walsh at centre of Nathan Cleary suspension debate
On Sunday, one pundit wrote on social media: “Cleary needs to be cleared like Walsh did in the grand final for this tackle. It’s a no brainer. Spot the difference, 1 gets 2 weeks with no contact to the head. In the last NRL game played the other, direct contact to the head and gets 0 weeks cleared.”
Another commented: “Two wrongs don’t make a right. Walsh should have been suspended and Cleary most definitely should.”
Others pointed out that Walsh was very low to the ground when he made contact with Coates’ head, and was basically on his knees. Whereas Cleary raced out of the line to put a shot on Makasini, and was therefore quite careless.
The Panthers noted that Makasini appeared to slip slightly before the contact, and that Cleary didn’t leave the ground in making the tackle. Cleary’s feet still appeared to be on the ground at the point of contact, and only afterwards did he jump up slightly.