South Sydney forward Jed Cartwright says he has no issue with on-field comments made by Pete Green last week, and is adamant the Penrith trainer didn’t sledge him about his previously broken back.
Cartwright has moved to put to bed a simmering feud between the Rabbitohs and Panthers, which ignited on Sunday when Channel Nine vision showed a fired-up Cody Walker leaping to the defence of his teammate in a heated post-match exchange with Green.
Souths officials privately claimed Green taunted Cartwright about a previous injury suffered during his time at the Panthers. Cartwright claims that was never the case.
“It’s just been blown out of proportion,” Cartwright told the Herald. “I am good mates with Pete. We got along real well when I was at Penrith. He never said anything about my back. He just said something about the tackle that I made.
“We spoke about it after the game and we have since texted about it and we’re all good. I’m ready to move on and he’s ready to move on. That’s it.
“He said nothing about my back. I have all the respect in the world for Pete. It’s hard when you lose a preliminary final. I just went up to him and spoke about what I heard and what he told me and then we put it to bed then and there. It’s been blown up from that.”
Panthers staff member Alan Mair supporting colleague Pete Green on Tuesday.Credit:Christian Nicolussi
The issue was almost put to bed on Monday when Souths and Penrith officials discussed the matter and agreed to move on.
However, things escalated when Jed’s father John, a premiership-winner at the Panthers during his 12-year career at the club, told a News Corp publication that Green should receive a life ban.
Jed told the Herald he had not spoken to his father about the incident before the story was published by The Daily Telegraph on Monday afternoon.
“We were out having a drink celebrating the end of the season and he [John] must have seen the original article or video. He got pretty fired up not knowing the story,” Jed said. “He knows the story now. We just want to put it to bed.”
An exchange between Dylan Edwards, Jed Cartwright and trainer Pete Green was the trigger for a Cody Walker post-match spray.Credit:Nine
Penrith duo Nathan Cleary and Dylan Edwards leapt to the defence of the trainer after the team’s win.
“I was right there,” Cleary said. “When Jed tackled Dyl, it was a pretty solid tackle and Dyl was hurting a bit. Then Pete just said, ‘He got you on that one Dyl, let him have that one’ … Jed yelled out and asked Pete, ‘What did you say?’ ”
Edwards echoed Cleary’s sentiment. “He was talking to me,” he said. “There was no sledge about any old previous injuries. There was no sledge about any old previous injuries or anything like that.
“He was talking to me about it being a tackle and said something like. ‘Get back up Dyl, let him have that one’. Pete’s such a great guy. Honestly he is. I can’t speak highly enough of him.”
Watch the NRL Grand Final Exclusive Live and Free on Channel 9 and 9Now.
Stream the NRL Premiership 2022 live and free on 9Now.
