Panthers Coach Ivan Cleary Opened Up On The Controversy After Trainer’s Interference On The Field

The Panthers trainer was involved in an on-field interference.

The NRL world was in an uproar on Saturday afternoon, after a Penrith Panthers trainer ran in front of Jayden Campbell as he was lining up a crucial goal kick.

Campbell, who went on to miss the kick that opened the door for Nathan Cleary to seal a two-point field goal to level the scores, was noticeably frustrated with the trainer’s interference as he jogged across the field.

The Gold Coast Titans went on to lose the match, adding further ammunition to the highly talked-about debate.

Panthers coach Ivan Cleary opened up on the controversy, with very few answers to back his trainer up.

“I didn’t see it, but (we were) just chatting about it in there. He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Cleary said in his post-match press conference.

“We had a sub that we were going to do, and I changed it at the last minute; that’s what he was doing, he was trying to communicate with the bench.

“Because it was a late change, there’s a lot of stuff going on to make sure we didn’t make that change we were going to. That was why there was a bit of confusion.”

Despite his best efforts to explain the situation, he ultimately conceded some level of fault.

“In the end, it was just an honest mistake, he apologised straight away. Anyone around him would have seen that, the Titans would know that,” Cleary declared.

“I am happy to say we apologise for it, because it’s not something that anyone set out to do. It was just an honest mistake.”

Titans coach Des Hasler was not as confident on the matter, however bit his tongue for the most part in his own press conference.

“Obviously, at the end of the day, we didn’t get points… did it cost us the game? I don’t know. He will get breached, that’s the only thing that’s going to come out of that,” Hasler conceded.

No punishment has been issued to the Panthers or the trainer as of yet; however, with the competition points already handed to the four-time premiers, no result will fill Titans fans with a ton of relief.