Penrith hooker Mitch Kenny is facing a two-game suspension for an alleged hip-drop tackle that left Sydney Roosters forward Nat Butcher injured, yet did not result in a sin-binning or even a penalty.
Butcher was initially hurt in the fourth minute of Saturday’s clash at Allianz Stadium before limping from the field five minutes later. He was unable to return, leaving Roosters coach Trent Robinson frustrated after his team’s 40-12 defeat.
Kenny has since been charged with grade-two dangerous contact, his second such offence. If he takes the early guilty plea, he will miss Penrith’s games against Manly and their Magic Round blockbuster against Brisbane.
If the Panthers unsuccessfully challenge the charge at the judiciary, they will lose Kenny for three matches.
The charge adds to Penrith’s worries after what coach Ivan Cleary described as an interchange “balls-up” against the Roosters, in which 14 Panthers players were briefly on the field at the same time.
The NRL is reviewing the incident and Penrith are facing a fine, but a points deduction is considered highly unlikely.
The timing is unfortunate for 27-year-old Kenny, who is reportedly in the mix to make his State of Origin debut for NSW next month.
Penrith hooker Mitch Kenny is facing suspension.Credit: Getty
Returning from a shoulder injury, Kenny made 50 tackles against the Roosters and produced a try assist with a grubber kick, and was afterwards labelled “one of the most underrated players in the competition” by Penrith champion Nathan Cleary in a post-match interview.
Robinson said it was “pretty clear” the bunker should have identified that the Kenny tackle was illegal and taken action on the field.
“He [Butcher] has got an MCL [knee] injury, it is pretty disappointing,” Robinson said.
“Nothing was mentioned at all in the game, but in the tackle he gets an MCL injury and he is done for the night.”
MANLY FACING PROP CRISIS
Penrith’s next opponents have problems of their own, namely a mounting injury toll that has added gravitas to Manly coach Anthony Seibold’s claims that a gruelling fixture list has pushed his players to their physical limits.
The Sea Eagles, who were flying high in second spot on the points table after winning three of their first four games, have nosedived to 12th after consecutive losses against Melbourne (48-24), Cronulla (24-18) and St George Illawarra (20-18).
The mini-slump has coincided with Manly having to play five games in 25 days – the last three of which came in an 11-day block that included travelling to and from Perth.
That prompted Seibold to speak out after Thursday’s loss to the Dragons at Brookvale.
The coach now faces the challenge of selecting a patched-up team for Saturday’s clash at Commbank Stadium with the revitalised four-time champions.
Jake Trbojevic leaves the field on Thursday night.Credit: Getty Images
In particular, the Sea Eagles are pondering what would appear to be an engine-room crisis.
Towering Taniela Paseka is unlikely to play again this season after rupturing his Achilles playing against Canberra last month.
Toafofoa Sipley was referred straight to the judiciary for a hip-drop tackle against the Dragons and is facing a likely long-term suspension.
Jake Trbojevic suffered a grade-one concussion on Thursday and will miss the clash with Penrith.
In addition, Nathan Brown (shoulder) and Ethan Bullemore (knee) were both injured against the Dragons and are racing the clock to prove their fitness.
“They’ll need to be monitored and won’t train, if available, until the back end of the week,” Seibold said of Brown and Bullemore.
“They both couldn’t finish Thursday’s game so are in doubt.”
Meanwhile, veteran Matt Lodge, who is on a train-and-trial contract that allows him to play in the NRL in round 10, suffered a toe injury recently that has hindered his preparations.
Winger Tommy Talau is also in doubt this week with a lower-leg problem.
Desperately needing some reinforcements to bolster his pack, Seibold is hoping Josh Ailoai, who has missed two of the past three games with a shoulder injury, will be available this week, while Corey Waddell will return from suspension.
He is also optimistic that talismanic Tom Trbojevic is “a good chance” to return from a knee injury that has sidelined him for three games.
Manly have lost all three of those games, adding to their cursed record minus “Tommy Turbo”. Of the 50 games he has missed since 2021, they have won only 16.
Seibold admitted the Sea Eagles are “a bit beaten up at the minute” and told this masthead that the playing schedule had hindered Manly’s selection options.
“The short turnaround after Perth prevented Josh Aloiai from playing,” he said.
“Over this period we have had Tom Trbojevic, Tommy Talau, Jason Saab and Josh Aloiai miss games due to the playing schedule / short turnaround that on normal turnarounds would have been available.”
