Ivan Cleary Responds to Crucial Bunker Decision That Disrupted Panthers’ Momentum

Ivan Cleary has acknowledged that the Bunker’s decision to disallow a try by Moses Leota significantly impacted the momentum of the Panthers in their round four defeat to South Sydney.

After a woeful first half that left them trailing 28-0, Penrith began to mount a comeback in the second half, scoring a few tries.

Had it not been for a pivotal decision from the Bunker, they could have closed the gap considerably, with Ashley Klein ruling it a no-try as Leota bulldozed over the line.

The video officials upheld Klein’s verdict, and while the Panthers coach hesitated to openly criticise the call, his feelings were evident.

“I genuinely believed it was a try,” Cleary remarked.

“It would have been quite beneficial, but perhaps it was just not our night.

“What do you reckon? I’m not sure. Ultimately, we put ourselves in a poor position during the first half, and we need some decisions to go our way.

“You need those calls … it certainly halted our momentum a bit.” 

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Isaah Yeo shared Cleary’s sentiments, acknowledging that the timing of the decision “didn’t help” as Penrith struggled to rally and ultimately fell 28-18.

When discussing the dismal first half, Cleary was challenged on whether he could recall his Penrith side making that many errors in just 40 minutes.

The team had only 28 per cent of possession before half-time, which proved too steep a challenge to overcome, despite their spirited efforts later on.

“I can’t recall one happening before,” Cleary confessed.

“I was trying to determine what I was going to say. It was simply one of those games.

“We made errors, struggled defensively, compounded those errors, and continuously found new ways to make them. We just haven’t found any rhythm in our play.

“I must take responsibility for our current form. The spirit among the players is still strong, which is positive, but it’s challenging and we lack rhythm in our game.

“We need to discover it quickly. The first half was almost comical at times.”