‘Footing the Bill: Phil Gould Slams NRL Schedule Over ‘Absurd’ Panthers Predicament’

Phil Gould has criticised the “absurd” NRL scheduling as the Panthers prepare to be without several crucial players for their round 16 encounter against the Warriors.

The defending champions will head across to Auckland this weekend for a vital match that could impact their season and aspirations for a top-eight finish.

However, head coach Ivan Cleary confirmed after their round 14 victory over the Tigers that the club’s State of Origin representatives wouldn’t be making the trip.

“The Origin players obviously won’t be participating because they can’t,” he stated.

“It doesn’t seem fair that we aren’t able to play … we should have the autonomy to make that decision.

“Given the flight arrangements, it’s simply not feasible to get them there.”

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This means that Nathan Cleary, Isaah Yeo, Brian To’o, Liam Martin, and Dylan Edwards will all definitely miss Friday night’s fixture.

Speaking on Wide World of Sports’ Six Tackles With Gus, the former Penrith boss directed his criticism at those in charge, stating he would be “fuming” if he were still with the club.

“What about the absurd scheduling for the poor old Panthers this week,” Gould expressed.

“They are set to play on Wednesday night in Perth with all these Origin players, then expected to back up on Friday night in New Zealand.

“How could they expect those players to recover? It’s shocking. If I were part of the Panthers organisation, I would be furious. They won’t be taking their Origin players with them.

“Someone at the NRL likely thought, ‘oh it doesn’t matter, they won’t play anyway,’ but in previous years they were dominating the competition. Now they’re fighting for a top-eight spot and I’m sure they would have relished the opportunity to have those Origin players at their disposal.

“How can we treat our game like this? It’s detrimental to the product.”

Currently, Penrith sits in ninth position on the NRL ladder with five wins, seven losses, and one draw.