Second Melbourne player under fire after unseen moment in drama against Panthers
Cleary thought he'd won the game for Penrith when he kicked a field goal at the death, only to see it chalked off after referee Ashley Klein pinged Moses Leota for blocking Grant from putting pressure on the kick. The incident divided opinion around the NRL world, with many agreeing that it was a penalty by the letter of the law, despite accusing Grant of 'milking' the contact with Leota to get the call.
Moments later, Cleary had another chance to win the game for Penrith but saw his attempted field goal charged down by Loiero with less than 30 seconds left on the clock. The Panthers knocked the ball on in the ensuing battle for the loose footy as Melbourne hung on to send the grand final rematch into golden point.
Fans claim Penrith were denied a crucial late penalty
But eagle-eyed NRL fans have pointed out that Loiero did not appear to be square at marker when Penrith's Liam Henry played the ball, before he race downfield to charge down Cleary's attempt. Referee Klein did not take any action against Loiero as the Storm appeared to dodge a bullet, before Grant snatched victory for Melbourne with a brilliant try in extra time.
However, viewers argued that the match should never have gone to golden point in the first place, with Loiero's alleged indiscretion occurring right in front of the posts and inside the Storm's own 20m line. A penalty would have given Cleary one of the easiest match-winning shots at goal of his career, but the incident went unnoticed and the Storm prevailed to dent Penrith's top-four hopes.
Trent Loiero nice and square hey Ashley Klein?That said, Penrith burned their challenge on a good call by Klein on Leota BUT if you are happy to blow the whistle for that one, blow it for this one.He's clearly offside.#NRLPanthersStorm #NRL pic.twitter.com/AkYydFn2jY
— The NRL Tweet (@NRLTweet) August 14, 2025
Or no penalty for a Trent Loiero not square at marker and leave early only to charge down clearys attempt 🤔
— Wirgil (@Wirgilvandyke) August 14, 2025
Loiero was clearly offside based on where he played the ball but there were questions about if he played that on the mark... Or stepped around the marker.
— noneofyourbusiness (@nunofyurbidness) August 15, 2025
Offside penalty in front
— shane beresford 🏆🏆🏆🏆 (@shaneberesford4) August 15, 2025
How did the Ref missed that and not Harry standing right there
— Mark Wright (@crustybakerinoz) August 15, 2025
Took off well before the ball cleared the ruck.
— Amarillo🏆🏆🏆🏆 (@Amarillo1942237) August 15, 2025
I cant stand penref but I was thinking the same thing. No way was he square
— Milton Jackson (@MiltonJack99) August 15, 2025
Nathan Cleary hits out over crucial Harry Grant penalty
Cleary didn't mention the Loiero incident after the game but the Penrith halfback was not happy with the crucial penalty awarded to Grant moments before, or the actions of the Melbourne captain. Cleary pointed out that the NRL has cracked down on players milking penalties this year, but decided not to do so by rewarding Grant after what many described as a classic example of play-acting.
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The Panthers superstar also argued that Leota's actions did not constitute a typical 'blocking' penalty because it happened after a line break and he was merely standing in the attacking line in case the footy went to him. 'If that was in the field of play and you run a block shape, it wouldn't have been an obstruction because they ruled that out," Cleary said.
"If you're typically defending at that 'three man' and you play for an obstruction, they don't want that in the game. But for some reason, it's different for a field goal. I thought the blocking rule was brought in so that people wouldn't stand next to the play the ball, but Moses wasn't in that position.
"I don't believe that everyone can get behind me on that field goal, and then essentially Harry played for it because he knew he was going to get the penalty. I don't believe that Moses moved so it was pretty frustrating... It was a bit different because it happened straight after a line break, so I went into that position – it wasn't a standard field goal."
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