Gould doubles down on his criticism of ‘stupid’ debate over Panthers trainer

Bulldogs general manager Phil Gould has doubled down on his criticism of the debate surrounding banned Panthers trainer Corey Bocking, describing the punishment and coverage of the controversy as “the biggest overreaction of all time”.

It comes as Panthers coach Ivan Cleary labelled the NRL’s sanctions as “harsh and a little unfair”, and claimed he was concerned for Bocking’s welfare after.

The Panthers were fined $50,000 and Bocking was handed a five-match ban after he ran in front of Titans goalkicker Jayden Campbell as he lined up a sideline conversion attempt on Saturday.

Speaking on his Six Tackles With Gus podcast on Wednesday, Gould said the whole saga was “even stupid to talk about” after NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo defended the punishments.

Abdo said people were entitled to their opinion, but officials “discussed and debated quite vigorously” how to deal with the incident after Gould called it “the greatest beat-up I’ve ever seen in rugby league” on 100% Footy on Monday.

Panthers trainers have been involved in six separate incidents since 2021, and while the NRL reviews each incident individually, Abdo said it was important for the governing body to factor in those past indiscretions when taking action this time.

But Gould was steadfast on Wednesday, calling the incident “rubbish”.

“Young Campbell was able to restart his routine to try and kick the goal,” he said. “Now, if he had kicked the goal and Titans had won the game, do you think we’d be hearing about this again? Not in your life ... I think it’s such a ridiculous overreaction.”

Gould said he believed the incident was an “honest mistake” by the Penrith trainer.

“He got in the way, he didn’t realise it, he waved sorry and ran the other way,” Gould said. “Honestly, all he [Campbell] had to do was reset himself and kick the ball. But all this rubbish now, the fans go off and then everyone reacts to it ... I find it honestly the biggest beat-up of all time ... But the bottom line is they [trainers] don’t do it deliberately, and they’re not hurting anyone, and they’re not helping anyone.”

The proposed five-match ban for Bocking is the longest handed down to anyone for an on-field matter this year, beyond what any player has received for foul play.

The NRL’s proposed $50,000 fine to Penrith is also the largest non-suspended fine in almost four years, topping Ezra Mam’s $30,000 for drug driving without a licence last year.

Bocking will be unable to enter Penrith’s sheds, bench or field while serving the ban, with Cleary claiming he would effectively be “ostracised”.

“I just think it’s harsh and I think it’s a little unfair,” Cleary said. “For one person to receive a suspension based on things that have happened before, that never happens. There is no justice system in the world that does that kind of thing.

“The fines, you can make your own judgement on that, that’s a club thing. But for Corey, the five-match suspension for something that was clearly a mistake and that he apologised for, we’ve apologised for, I think it’s a little excessive.”

Cleary said he had since become concerned for Bocking in the days since the event, with the sanctions and intense scrutiny.

“He’s struggling and has been right from the time it happened,” the Penrith coach said. “We try to temper that with banter, which he takes in good nature, but he’s struggling.

“He cares about his job and understands he made a mistake and it’s become a big deal. The man himself, the last thing he would want is any excess attention. You can see it clearly that he was embarrassed and apologised. I think it’s been a bit unfair on him.”

Gould was also asked about the “khawd” try celebration incident during the Tigers’ heated clash with the Bulldogs on the weekend.

Canterbury asked the NRL integrity unit to look into the incident, after some players gave Bulldogs fans the khawd – the Arab equivalent of the middle finger. The NRL has subsequently issued the Wests Tigers with a breach notice.

Gould said he did not know if Canterbury players had found the gesture offensive and questioned why they were “talking about this rubbish”.

“I hate all the post-try celebration stuff,” Gould said. “I hate the way we encourage it and I hate the way we promote it ...

“I don’t like players running up to the crowd and celebrating with the crowd, because that leads itself to whatever you’re going to get ... but you keep wanting to promote that stuff. You want the rain, you better put up with the mud.” with AAP

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