Three men who breached QLD border to attend NRL grand final celebrated with Nathan Cleary

Nathan Cleary’s friends were in the crowd alongside the football star’s family at the NRL grand final at Suncorp Stadium and joined in post-match celebrations before it was found they illegally entered Queensland.

Penrith Panthers co-captain Nathan Cleary’s friends were in the crowd alongside the football star’s family at the NRL grand final at Suncorp Stadium and joined in post-match celebrations before it was found they illegally entered Queensland.

Video footage and social media posts from the grand final in Brisbane on October 3 shows Connor Marsh, Reece Iaria and Damon Finn celebrating with Cleary and other players at full time.

It’s understood the trio, aged between 23 and 25, also joined the team for post-match celebrations at a Sunshine Coast beach.

The three men have since returned a negative test result and were sent back to NSW after each being issued a $4135 fine by police.

They were not charged.

Nathan Cleary celebrates with a group of men following the Panthers’ win in the NRL grand final at Suncorp Stadium. Picture: Channel 9

An NRL spokesman confirmed Cleary will be asked in the coming days if he knew his friends illegally crossed the border.

Cleary has so far stayed quiet on the border breach but did farewell fellow Panthers player Kurt Capewell, who played his final game for the Penrith side last weekend, in a social media post.

Marsh, Iaria and Finn entered Queensland the day before the grand final in which Cleary led his team to a 14-12 victory – earning him the Clive Churchill medal.

Police say the trio breached the chief health officer’s directions after they travelled from Covid-ravaged Sydney to attend the match with a crowd of about 39,000 people.

It has been revealed the men used incorrect freight border passes to enter the state, as Queensland’s Health Minister Yvette D’Ath issued a strong warning to those attempting to flout the rules.

“It doesn’t matter who you are, if you’re sneaking across our borders you are putting our community at risk and it doesn’t matter the reason why you are coming over,” Ms D’Ath said.

“It’s just appalling, it’s really disappointing this has happened.”

Asked if a fine was a strong enough penalty for the men whose actions potentially put Queenslanders’ health at risk, Ms D’Ath said the number of deaths in other states should pose as a significant deterrent.

Nathan Cleary was awarded the Clive Churchill Medal after the Panthers’ Grand Final win. Picture: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

The men returned a negative test result and were sent back to New South Wales after they were each issued a $4135 fine by police. They were not charged.

The several thousand dollar fine has been slammed as too lenient by some Queenslanders, who compared the punishment to two Melbourne men who snuck into Perth to watch the AFL grand final.

The pair are accused of falsifying their border declaration passes to gain access into the state to attend the match at Optus Stadium.

They were arrested on September 28, three days after the finals decider, and at least one of the men remains in custody.

He is due to be sentenced on October 28.

Asked if a police issued fine was a strong enough penalty for the three men who put Queenslanders’ health at risk, Ms D’Ath said the number of deaths in other states should pose as a significant deterrent.

“What should be a deterrent is the fact that over 400 people have died since the 16th of June in New South Wales alone,” she said.

“When you think about the responsibility of walking into a stadium knowing you’ve come from a hot spot putting everyone at risk, I am really disappointed … This is not acceptable.

“It doesn’t matter what fine we give you, I think the public will judge you for that behaviour.”