The NRL has launched an investigation into whether the Panthers breached any rules when a club trainer called for time to stop late in the match during Penrith’s two-point win over Parramatta.
With less than five minutes remaining in the game, the Eels were in a position to take advantage of a 12-man Penrith defensive line after Mitch Kenny was left on the turf behind the play.
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Kenny’s ankle appeared to get twisted while making a tackle on Eels big man Reagan Campbell-Gillard.
Under current rules, club trainers can request for the referee to stop play if there’s a serious injury or safety concern.
The stoppage allowed Kenny to come from the field with Tevita Pangai Junior coming on as his replacement.
Nine’s rugby league reporter Michael Chammas confirmed the NRL was now looking into the incident, which involves Penrith physio Pete Green, who earlier in the year was probed over a similar incident.
“The NRL is investigating whether the Panthers deliberately breached the rules in the dying minutes of their game against the Eels,” Chammas told Nine News.
“The incident occurred when the trainer called for time to be stopped to treat injured hooker Mitchell Kenny.
“Under the NRL’s rules, trainers are only allowed to call for play to be stopped for serious injuries after an initial assessment.
“Footage shows that when the time was called off, none of the Panthers’ trainers were even on the field.
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“Nine News can also reveal the trainer at the centre of the investigation is physio Pete Green.
“He was issued with a show cause notice earlier in the year for a similar incident involving Viliame Kikau against the Sharks.”
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