Panthers pin-up Nathan Cleary wore a punch to the jaw as tensions boiled over in the Brisbane afternoon heat.
The opening game of Saturday’s Magic Round triple-header featured plenty of feeling between the Panthers and Warriors, with rookie forward Demitric Sifakula sin-binned for his sneaky right jab on Cleary.
Cleary and Spencer Leniu belted the ball loose from Josh Curran midway through the second half before a melee erupted.
Replays showed Sifaluka, in just his second NRL game, raced over to Cleary and gave him what looked like an old-fashioned jumper punch for his troubles. The commentators called it a “brain explosion”.
Sifaluka became the second Warriors binned following Jackson Ford’s 10-minute time-out for a hip-drop tackle on Leniu. There were concerns for Ford later when he failed to return from the bin.
Penrith won the match 18-6, and while they were clunky in attack for much of the game, the two points will be welcomed heading into next Friday’s clash against heavyweight opponents the Sydney Roosters.
Josh Curran and Nathan Cleary rumble after the Penrith halfback’s big hit.Credit: Getty
Cleary was the big difference again, especially with his kicking game.
He enjoyed the physicality and said “those are the fun games” before adding “I’ll try to stay out of those scuffles because I can’t throw them”.
Five-eighth Jarome Luai was also busy and would not have hurt his NSW Origin chances. Aside from the Cleary incident and two binnings, Stephen Crichton featured in two of the most brutal tackles you will see all season.
Crichton was ironed out by winger Edward Kosi midway through the first half before he produced an absolute bell-ringer of his own on Dylan Walker approaching the half hour.
The powerhouse centre launched himself into Walker who lost the ball on the final play.
It pumped up the Penrith players with the bone-rattling tackle sure to be replayed countless times before the weekend is over.
Dylan Edwards palmed off Jackson Ford and stepped inside Harris to score an excellent individual try, while the fullback also came up with a try-saver on former Panthers winger Dallin Watene-Zelezniak.
The Warriors looked sharp early and had the first points when Addin Fonua-Blake steamed on to a lovely pass from Tohu Harris to score next to the posts.
Nathan Cleary sends a pass out wide.Credit: Getty
Shaun Johnson had some nice moments in the second half, including a couple of forced dropouts, but came up with a shabby kick on the final play in the first half that rolled into touch.
Coach Andrew Webster, who won a couple of titles at Penrith as Ivan Cleary’s assistant, would have been proud of his players, especially to dig deep when they played for 20 minutes with just 12 men.
He will be frustrated Watene-Zelezniak was forced to undergo a head injury assessment for what appeared an innocent poke in the eye.
Webster goes head to head with fellow former Panthers deputy Cameron Ciraldo and his Bulldogs next weekend.
