Nathan Cleary says the man who Taylan May dragged to the ground at a Queensland club last year was harassing the Panthers halfback and his teammates “all night” before the winger intervened.
May was subsequently found guilty of assault occasioning bodily harm by a Queensland court last week. The NRL then handed May a two-game ban, which he won’t have to serve until next season, plus a $7500 fine.
May has said he was largely defending Cleary when he acted out and dragged the patron to the floor, and while Cleary says he appreciates his teammate’s support, he acknowledged the high standard NRL players are held to when it comes to behaviour in public.
“It was happening all night,” Cleary said of the patron heckling him and his teammates.
“I didn’t think too much of it. It was probably the next day you look back and think something bad could come of it. At the time, I thought he was defusing the situation.
“You have to be cautious of that, us in the limelight we are in, as role models as well, we can’t fall into that kind of stuff. There are always going to be people that get under your skin, but that is the life we live, and we have to deal with it the right way.”
Taylan May is free to play in the finals series despite being handed an NRL suspension.Credit:Getty
The NRL has been heavily criticised for the decision to allow May to play the finals series and delay the two-game suspension until next year.
The NRL holds a view that on-field sanctions aren’t comparable to off-field indiscretions. On-field charges are made 24 hours after a game and players are afforded the ability to appeal in relatively quick timeframe.
The NRL also considered that it hasn’t imposed off-field sanctions on a player during a finals series in recent memory. The game has made a point of trying to ensure the best players don’t miss the big games, introducing a new judicial system this year for State of Origin and finals matches.
May’s case was postponed several times due to COVID-19 related delays. The NRL felt it was unfair to impose a ban in the finals series based on the timing of the courts.
The Panthers asked the NRL to consider the fact they allowed May time off leading into the Cowboys game to appear in court when factoring in the number of matches he would serve. The NRL didn’t consider it, especially when the Panthers rested almost all of their regular starters for the match in Townsville.
“It’s great [that he’s playing]; you want your best players on the park, and he’s been massive for us this year,” Cleary said.
“Everyone can take lessons out of it, even people that weren’t a part of it. It’s the spotlight we live in these days. Rugby league is a 24-7 job. It’s not just when we’re coming here or training or on the field, it’s when we’re with the outside world and everywhere.
“I felt sorry for him going through it all. You obviously feel for your mate that has to go through stuff like that and the scrutiny around it. As we kind of touched on, there’s lessons to be learned and I’ll always respect Taylan.”
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