‘Making your own rules up’: Fiery debate over Panthers penalty for ‘illegal tackle’ missed in prelim

Veteran reporter Phil Rothfield believes the Panthers should have been awarded a penalty for Ezra Mam’s contact on Nathan Cleary at a crucial stage of yesterday’s preliminary final.

With only 25 minutes remaining in the game and the Panthers leading 14-6, it appeared as though Mam had made contact on Cleary when he was in the air as he was putting in a kick.

But it was the Broncos who instead received the penalty because Panthers star Liam Martin ran in and became involved. Martin was fined $1000 over the incident.

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But closer examination of video footage on NRL 360 on Monday night suggested the officials in fact made the right call not to penalise Mam, given that Cleary’s foot was on the ground when Mam made initial contact with him, and therefore Cleary wasn’t tackled in the air.

But Rothfield felt the Panthers were hard done by.

“No question at all that he’s been tackled in the air while kicking the football,” Rothfield said.

“Penrith deserved the penalty. Absolutely they did.

“That’s a penalty. Tackled in the air. It is. I’ve spoken to the NRL about it. I’ve sent them the still frames.”

But host Braith Anasta had a different view.

“His foot’s on the ground. It’s a no penalty,” Anasta said.

“He tackled him exactly how you’re supposed to. He wrapped his arms around him and takes him to the ground.”

But Rothfield fired back at Anasta.

“I’ve talked you through the rules. You can’t tackle a man in the air. There he is in the air,” Rothfield said.

However, Anasta felt the footage told the story.

“We just paused it when his foot was on the ground and he was touching him,” Anasta said.

But Rothfield doubled down.

“Oh mate, it was that much. Come on,” he said.

“It doesn’t matter,” Anasta replied.

Rothfield reiterated his point.

“Mate, we’re not in the bunker. Seriously,” he said.

“That was an illegal tackle, mate.”

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Anasta continued to make reference to the footage of the incident.

“The bunker would have looked at it and they would have paused it right here,” Anasta said.

But Rothfield had made his mind up.

“That was a dangerous tackle. I’m not changing my opinion. I don’t care what you’re stopping here. It was a dangerous tackle,” Rothfield said.

“Don’t worry about the rules. You just make your own ones up,” Anasta replied.

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