Penrith Panthers have defended trainer Corey Bocking after the NRL proposed a five-match suspension and a $50,000 fine for an incident during Saturday's match against the Gold Coast Titans. Bocking ran in front of Titans halfback Jayden Campbell as he prepared for a conversion kick, which would have extended the Titans' lead to four points with under seven minutes remaining. Campbell missed the kick, and Penrith went on to win 30-26 in golden point.
The NRL issued a breach notice on Monday, alleging Bocking “unnecessarily interfered with and distracted” Campbell, in breach of the NRL operations manual and code of conduct. The proposed penalty also takes into account previous breaches by Panthers trainers, including a one-week ban in May for squirting a ball with water during a match.
The club has five days to respond but issued a statement describing the incident as an “honest mistake” with no intent to gain an advantage. “The trainer immediately apologised upon realising the error,” the statement said. “The circumstances involved a late change and in-the-moment confusion, but we understand that does not excuse the outcome.”
Panthers coach Ivan Cleary echoed that view, saying Bocking was “in the wrong place at the wrong time” after a late change in interchange plans caused confusion. Titans coach Des Hasler said he had to be “careful” with his words but added the incident probably did not cost his side the game.
If the club accepts the breach notice, Bocking will miss the rest of the regular season as Penrith chase a top-four finish in their bid for a fifth straight premiership. Separately, Wests Tigers players are under investigation for making offensive hand gestures after scoring a try in their 28-14 upset win over Canterbury-Bankstown on Sunday.
