{"id":372858,"date":"2026-04-10T11:30:11","date_gmt":"2026-04-10T11:30:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/372858\/"},"modified":"2026-04-10T11:30:11","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T11:30:11","slug":"calls-for-burton-to-be-sanctioned-after-cheating-tactic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/372858\/","title":{"rendered":"Calls for Burton to be sanctioned after ‘cheating’ tactic"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Round 6 had a firing start on Thursday night, after the Bulldogs pulled off one of the biggest upsets, rattling the Panthers to a 32-16 defeat.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Whilst the match included plenty of talking points after multiple sin bins, injuries and stellar control from Galvin, many have noticed a sneaky move made by Matt Burton<\/a> whilst Nathan Cleary<\/a> was converting.\u00a0<\/p>\n

During Cleary’s conversion, footage shows Burton throwing the ball in the air three times whilst in Cleary’s direct line of sight. Cleary ended up missing the kick after hitting the post.<\/p>\n

It ended up being the only conversion the playmaker missed on the night.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The NRL<\/a> rules state that “it is illegal to attempt to distract the attention of a kicker player who is kicking at goal.”<\/p>\n

Therefore, they are questioning why Cleary wasn’t granted another attempt.<\/p>\n

Burton spoke to the Sydney Morning Herald post-match about the action.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn’t think he’d miss that. I was cheering. I thought he would have been watching the ball, not watching that [tossing the ball]. It must have worked,” he grinned.<\/p>\n

Cleary says he was unaware of Burton’s ‘distraction’.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Although the missed two-point did not directly impact the loss due to a 16-point difference, it could’ve provided the Panthers with a lead and momentum switch after the missed kick left them 16 all.<\/p>\n

The incident may prompt the NRL<\/a> to review how rules around interference with goal kickers are interpreted and enforced.<\/p>\n


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