Paul Kent: Penrith Panthers start to stain their grand final victory with post-match antics

Penrith’s grand final win was a terrific ending to a tough season and they deserved to celebrate, but there is an uneasiness about much of their behaviour since, writes PAUL KENT.

The Panthers partied hard after their grand final success. Picture: Chris Hyde/Getty Images

It is worth reminding some that when Penrith stormed to victory last Sunday a great wave of apathy swept over most of the land.

Those as close to Melbourne still managed to somehow drag themselves out of bed and get off to work the next morning, convinced that’s what mattered, while large parts of Adelaide and even Perth rolled over and lazily hit the snooze button, much like a majority of suburbs in greater Sydney did too.

It was over. Done.

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As news reached parts of Africa nobody wept for the defeated Rabbitohs while, as best as anyone could tell, Europe gave a collective yawn.

Point is, as celebrated an achievement as it was, it hardly knocked the world off its axis, or even many parts of Australia.

The Panthers had plenty to celebrate after winning the club’s first premiership since 2003 last weekend. Picture: Chris Hyde/Getty Images

It was a fine victory, and a terrific end to a tough season, but yes, it was just a football game.

So how Tyrone May had the arrogance to believe the Panthers premiership somehow vindicated his criminal behaviour from just a few years back, enough to launch a stinging broadside at those who criticised him, remains one of those mysteries that could launch 40 different Netflix documentaries.

Sadly, it shows the smallness of the game, and of many who play it.

For those that missed it, who some call the lucky ones, May took to social media the night the Panthers won the premiership to post a photo of himself leaving Parramatta Court, with coach Ivan Cleary behind him, while quoting lyrics from a Drake song:

“And the dirt that they threw on my name

“Turned to soil and I grew up out of it

“Time for y’all to figure out what y’all gon’ do about it.”

Apparently, winning a grand final was vindication for May pleading guilty to four counts of filming himself having sex with a woman without her consent.

Magistrate Robyn Denes described his actions as “morally reprehensible” and believed he should have been sent to jail but could not, given the prosecution argued it was “just below a custodial offence”.

Tyrone May and Panthers coach Ivan Cleary after Penrith’s grand final win.

“This troubles me,” she said of the prosecution’s request.

She said the crime was “actually about violence against women”.

May was given a three-year good behaviour bond, the most she could order, which satisfied her from the point of view it meant “the system would be able to watch you for longer than it would if you were jailed and then released”.

And then May wins a grand final and suddenly it was everybody else that was wrong. Those 13 minutes he played, with five runs and nine tackles, somehow changed everything.

A couple of his teammates, like Api Koroisau and Viliame Kikau, immediately posted messages of support under his post.

For those of us old enough to remember when many of the game’s stars behaved like statesmen, it throws up the obvious question: when did the game turn right, and common decency turn left?

Why the integrity unit has still not put its pointy nose into this is beyond reason. If this does not go to the integrity of the game, what does?

It is irrelevant that May later took the post down.

The Panthers shared their celebrations on social media. Digital art: Boo Bailey

The bigger question is how, 17 months into his bond, one where he was also ordered to undergo counselling, May believes a grand final win vindicates being a sexual predator?

Has he even done the counselling?

As the week progressed it seems nobody at Penrith had the good sense to remove the mobile phones from their players.

Having beaten Souths in the grand final, they then used their social media to ridicule them, posting for all to see.

Kikau thought it a classy act to take to his social media account and mock the Rabbitohs.

“Up the Rabbits,” he laughed. “Let’s go Rabbitohs.”

He then broke into a sarcastic version of “Glory, Glory to South Sydney”.

Kikau gives the impression that when he finally retires from footy a long career in lifting something awaits. It is hard to know what else he is qualified for.

They are staining their own parade, these Panthers.

For all the feelgood joy the likes of Brian To’o and his marriage proposal brought to the Panthers’ win, there is a menace and an uneasiness about much of their behaviour since.

Viliame Kikau and James Fisher-Harris hit the beach with their teammates on the morning after their grand final win.

They are ungracious. Their response to criticism about their behaviour will be “f… you”, like it was towards South Sydney’s effort as the vanquished, who were graceful in defeat.

When did sport take this ugly turn?

The NRL is a tough job and only tough men play it. Weakness has been weeded out by the time players reach the elite level.

For these reasons the game often recruits from lower socio-economic backgrounds, like boxing must, to find young men prepared to push their limits to find a way out.

For such reasons rugby league was a working class game with working values. The players understood the poor man’s struggle.

Now many of the players are on rich six-figure contracts, are poorly educated, and they behave like a rat with a gold tooth. They demand respect but do not return it.

Warriors chief executive Cameron George quietly reminded the players of the game’s realities earlier this week when, in an unrelated matter, he supported the introduction of hair testing for illicit drugs.

“The players and the RLPA have got to understand,” he said, “the game only clicks at the level we’re at because of commercial support.”

And the game is at this level because of those who came before it, whose character sold the game to attract that corporate support.

Benji Marshall farewells the crowd after playing his last NRL game in the grand final. Picture: AAP Image/Josh Woning

That was an acknowledgment the Melbourne players made earlier this week when they apologised to those who came before them at the Storm for embarrassing their club.

If the Panthers ever need a lesson in class, and a reminder of how if you are good to the game then the game will give back, they need only look over the halfway line at their opponents from last Sunday and find Benji Marshall.

Marshall was young once, too, and he was brash, but there was a decency and intelligence inside him. And then he matured and adapted, on and off the field, and now they clamour to keep him involved somewhere in the game, and for as long as he wants.

He made the choice his.

Not these Panthers, who behave like you expect to wake up one night and find them standing in your hallway.

APOLOGY TO RUSSELL CROWE

In my column on April 24 I inferred that Russell Crowe betrayed George Piggins for his own financial benefit and that Mr Crowe engaged in a campaign of lies, slander and misinformation against Mr Piggins during the events leading up to his purchase of the Rabbitohs in 2006. I now accept that these statements were false and defamatory and should never have been published. The Daily Telegraph and I wish to apologise to Mr Crowe for the harm, hurt and distress caused by this column.