Nathan Cleary Faces Potentialโ Ban After Incident in NRL Finals Match
Sydney, Australia – Penrith โPanthers halfback Nathan Cleary is facing potential disciplinary action following an incident during his team’s qualifying final against the Brisbane Broncos, which saw him make contact with Broncos โฃplayer Ezraโ Mam’s face with a closedโ fist. The incident, occurring during a play where Cleary was slightlyโ late hitting Mam while kicking โฃthe ball, has sparked debate โover whether it warrants a suspension that could rule him out of โฃa potential grand final appearance.
Whileโข describedโ as not aโ “customary ‘punch'” and lacking significant force, the contact โhas drawn scrutiny due to โฃthe NRL’s strict stance against striking. The league has effectively outlawed punching for the past decade, typically โขresulting in an automatic sin-bin.Though Clearyโข was not sin-binnedโค during the โคmatch, anyโค suspension handed down by the NRL โcould have significant ramifications, potentially impacting his availability for โขtheโฃ Kangaroos and the end-of-season Ashes tour.
Theโ incident โขoccurred as Mam was kicking the ball,โฃ and Cleary’s contact with his face was captured on camera.Match officials deemed the contact insufficient for an immediate sin-bin, but the NRL’s match review committee will assess the footage and determine ifโค further โคaction is required.
Adding to the concerns for the Panthers, teammate liam Martin is also likely to โคbe reviewed for a separate โincident where he appeared to strike Mam in the โขhead afterโ theโ initial play. Martin has already โannounced his unavailability โfor the Ashes tour due to his wife’s impending childbirth.
The match review committee’s findings are expected within the next 24-48 hours, and any suspension for Cleary wouldโฃ be a major blow to Penrith’s โpremiership aspirations. The incident underscores the NRL’s zero-tolerance policy on striking โand highlights the potential consequences for players โinvolved in suchโ incidents duringโค theโ high-stakes finals series.