Nathan Cleary gets disciplinary reprieve following brutal pre-season sin-bin as outcome shared
Nathan Cleary leaves the field having been sin-binned during Penrith Panthers' pre-season clash against Wests Tigers in 2026
Nathan Cleary has seen his ban downgraded and will now be free to play in Penrith Panthers’ NRL opener following his sin-binning in their pre-season defeat to Wests Tigers.
Superstar Cleary saw yellow during Friday’s pre-season game, which Penrith lost 26-12, after catching Wests’ rookie winger Heamasi Makasini with a shot.
On the back of that, he had been hit with a Grade 2 charge, and would have been suspended for two matches.
But thanks to the work of dad and head coach Ivan, who acted as his lawyer in Monday’s judiciary hearing as the Panthers challenged the decision, Cleary has been hit with a fine rather than a suspension, seeing his charge downgraded.
Had the challenge been unsuccessful, Cleary would have ended up banned for three games, but having seen his charge downgraded to a Grade 1 offence, he is now free to play in the Panthers’ NRL opener against Brisbane Broncos.
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Nathan Cleary gets disciplinary reprieve following brutal pre-season sin-bin as outcome shared
Attempting to get the initial charge upheld, the NRL’s prosecution argued that the impact on Makasini’s head from the high shot was consistent with the force of what should warrant the Grade 2 charge.
But Cleary‘s defence, namely dad Ivan, argued that his first contact was not direct with the Wests youngster’s head.
Instead, the argument was that the initial contact came well below the head before bouncing up to make contact, with the plea not to wipe the charge altogether, but to downgrade it.
Cleary and the Panthers got the outcome they sought as the judiciary decided the defence was a valid one, downgrading his charge and wiping his suspension as a result.
Their opening game of the season away against the Broncos, who were crowned champions last term but lost the World Club Challenge to Super League kings Hull KR last week, comes on March 6.
