NRL world up in arms over Nathan Cleary farce as Panthers star's previous comments paint damning picture

News.com.au

2 days ago

Nathan Cleary has come under fire for appearing to 'dive' on two separate occasions in Penrith's 48-12 win over the Knights.
The Panthers charged into the NRL's top four on Friday night, easily dispatching Newcastle to bring up their ninth consecutive win.
But two moments from Cleary didn't go down well with NRL fans.
On two separate occasions in the first half, the Knights were penalised for their pressure on Cleary as he went to kick the ball on the final tackle.
Each time as Cleary kicked the ball, he threw himself to the ground and complained to the referee, who awarded him a penalty both times.
The first penalty was against Jermaine McEwen, who pushed Cleary while he still had the ball, but was still pinged.
You can watch the moment in the player above.
Newcastle coach Adam O'Brien erupted in the coach's box, while in the commentary box, Warren Smith and Steve Roach were equally gobsmacked.
'He couldn't pull out of that,' Roach said. While Smith added, 'That's harsh'.
Moments later, Cleary again received a penalty, after again making the most of contact.
This time, Cleary's kicking leg came down on top of a Knights defender.
Cleary again threw himself to the ground and was subsequently awarded a penalty.
He got up with a smirk, high-fiving teammates as the Panthers continued to roll through the Knights with a huge weight of possession.
But fans cried foul, feeling Cleary continues to 'take dives' and the refs seem to keep falling for it.
'Week in week out, Cleary takes dives, the NRL need to step in,' one fan wrote.
'Nathan Cleary barely touched twice and yet gets 2 penalties … F***ing joke,' another said.
While a third added: 'I hate that Cleary does that'.
Cleary has previously admitted to playing up for penalties back in 2021, and it appears his stance on the matter hasn't changed.
As penalties for high contact and crushers swept the sport, Cleary said in 2021, while obviously it's not what fans want to see, if it helps you win, it's worth doing.
'That's something that ultimately would be nice to be eliminated, but if it keeps going like that, everyone's going to do it because at the end of the day, you want to win,' Cleary said.
'Getting penalties helps you win, so it's just the way it is at the moment. It comes down to just wanting to win the game, and those things help.'
Next week, the Panthers will face Melbourne, in a match that could shape the top four, while the Knights take on the Cowboys.