Ivan Cleary has admitted long-time Panthers trainer Corey Bocking is taking it hard after being handed a five-match suspension and becoming the centre of attention following Penrith’s dramatic win over the Titans on Saturday.
Bocking accidentally ran across the line of Titans halfback Jayden Campbell as he lined up a crucial conversion late in the game. With the Titans leading 26-24, a successful kick could have sealed the result. But Campbell missed, Nathan Cleary nailed a two-point field goal to send it to golden point, and Blaize Talagi’s try gave Penrith a 30-26 win.
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The NRL came down heavily, issuing a $50,000 fine to the Panthers and suspending Bocking, a punishment Ivan Cleary feels is too harsh for an honest mistake.
“He cares about his job… and it’s become a big deal”
“He’s struggling. Has been right from the time it happened,” Cleary told reporters. “We kind of try to temper that with banter, which he takes in good nature. But yeah, he’s struggling. He cares about his job and understands that he made a mistake and it’s become a big deal.”
“The man himself, the last thing he would want is any excess attention, that’s his nature. You can see clearly that he was embarrassed and apologised.”
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The NRL justified the severity of the ban by pointing to six previous incidents involving Panthers trainers since 2021. But Cleary questioned why Bocking was being punished for actions he had no part in.
“For one person to receive a suspension based on things that have happened before that never happens,” he said. “It’s something that was clearly a mistake, that he apologised for, we’ve apologised for… I think it’s a little excessive.”