NRL 2022: Phil Gould calls for Taylan May to be congratulated not punished

Phil Gould has launched a bizarre defence of Penrith winger Taylan May, as ARLC boss Peter V’landys reveals the odd reason the Panther’s punishment was delayed.

Canterbury Bulldogs boss Phil Gould has outrageously claimed that Penrith winger Taylan May “should be congratulated” after being found guilty of assault occasioning actual bodily harm in a pub fight.

May has been handed a two-game suspension, which the NRL has controversially deferred until the beginning of next season to allow the rookie winger to play in the finals series and World Cup.

In a bizarre tweet in the early hours on Thursday morning, Gould said:

“Why argue over when Taylan May suspension should be served? Why was he suspended at all?

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Why argue over when Taylan May suspension should be served? Why was he suspended at all? No conviction recorded by court. $1000 fine. Hardly serious matter. Video clearly shows he defused situation before it escalated. Why are footballers always wrong? May should be congratulated

— Phil Gould (@PhilGould15) September 7, 2022

“No conviction recorded by court. $1000 fine. Hardly serious matter.

“Video clearly shows he defused situation before it escalated.

“Why are footballers always wrong? May should be congratulated.”

His comments come after magistrate Matthew McLaughlin labelled May’s actions “reprehensible” and “cowardly”.

The victim struck his head on the floor during the altercation.

Gould posted his comments after a long night at the Canterbury Bulldogs player of the year function.

Phil Gould's rotten take on Taylan May's punishment.

Remarkably, independent commission chairman Peter V’landys has revealed the suspension was deferred “for the fans.”

He told Channel 9: “A lot of ex-players look at it through a player’s lens, we look at it through everyone's’ lens, and the most important person at the moment is the fan.

“Why penalise Penrith fans for an indiscretion that the player did? The person that should be paying the penalty is the player, and (May) will, because he will miss two matches and a substantial part of his salary.”

Peter V'landys says the decision to allow Taylan May to play in the finals is all about the fans. 🐾#9WWOS#NRLpic.twitter.com/pS6A58d5X9

— NRL on Nine (@NRLonNine) September 7, 2022

May was also fined $7,500 – half suspended – by the NRL and ordered to undergo counselling and educational training.

May was out with teammates when he dragged a man to the ground inside a Sunshine Coast pub following Penrith’s premiership celebrations.

After fighting the charge, May was found guilty of assault occasioning bodily harm in Maroochydore Magistrates Court.

He had no conviction recorded, but was fined $1,000 and ordered by the court to pay another $1,000 to the victim.

‘THE LIFE WE LIVE’: CLEARY’S WARNING TO PANTHERS AFTER MAY DRAMA

– Fatima Kdouh

Penrith captain Nathan Cleary has warned NRL players of the dangers they face after a late night incident resulted in teammate Taylan May being found guilty of assault and facing a two-game ban from the NRL.

The NRL created controversy on Tuesday after deeming May’s incident bad enough to be banned over but ruled the 21-year-old could still line-up in Friday’s showdown against Parramatta.

Last week, a Queensland magistrate found May guilty of assault after he dragged a teenager to the ground while on a night out on October 8, just days after the Panthers won the grand final.

Nathan Cleary has defended Taylan May after being found guilty of assault, warning NRL players must be cautious of fans trying to get under their skin. Picture: Getty Images.

May, who argued he was defending Cleary, was ordered to pay a $1000 fine and $1000 compensation to the victim but no conviction was recorded.

The court heard Cleary had asked the teen to delete a video recorded of him earlier that night.

“It’s up to the NRL, they made that decision so I don’t have a comment on that,” Cleary said.

“You want your best players out there and he has been a big part of our team this year. It’s good to have him out there.”

Cleary said if he and his Penrith teammates had their time over, the situation would have been handled differently.

“You have to be cautious of that, us in the limelight we are in, as role models as well we can’t fall into that kind of stuff,” Cleary said.

“There are always going to be people that get under your skin but that is the life we live and we have to deal with it the right way.”

Cleary claims May was trying to defuse the situation when he pulled a teen to the ground.

The halfback said May was trying to ‘defuse the situation’ after revealing the teenager had been harassing him all night.

“It was happening all night,” Cleary said.

“I didn’t think too much of it. It was probably the next day, you look back and think something bad could come of it. At the time, I thought he was defusing the situation.”

Halves partner Jarome Luai said players needed to be more aware of their responsibilities as role models when out in the community.

“It’s a learning curve for everyone, not just Taylan, for everyone involved and any NRL player that was watching in that situation,” Luai said.

“The way it looked in the public eye … in a different manner I think. We need to be careful out there, we are role models to the youngers and everyone out there, we can’t slip up.”

After serving a five-match ban for a spear tackle on Dylan Brown, Cleary will line-up alongside Luai, who has only played one match in seven weeks due to injury, against the Eels.

It puts the duo on a collision course with former teammate Reagan Campbell-Gillard, amid speculation the Eels forward was snubbed from NSW selection because of tension between him and Penrith’s Blues’ contingent.

May has been suspended for the incident, but will not miss games until the start of the 2023 season. Picture: Getty Images.

It’s believed comments Campbell-Gillard made after joining the Eels about not caring during his final stint at Penrith had irked his former Penrith teammates.

But Cleary said those rumours were off the mark and no one at Penrith held a grudge against Campbell-Gillard.

“I didn’t really know much about it until someone brought it up recently, that we were the ones that turned against him but that was never the case,” Cleary said.

“It happened two years ago now, everyone has moved on. He is playing pretty well at Parramatta and we’ve done well at Penrith. If you hold onto that stuff, there’s no point. I don’t think people hold onto a grudge that long.”

Luai echoed Cleary’s sentiments.

“We’re pretty good mates, when he was in (Origin) camp … nothing seemed to come across that way so it was a weird story for us, being the Penrith boys people saying we had these feelings towards Reg. There was nothing like that. If he has feelings like that … I’m sure he doesn’t,” Luai said.

Jarome Luai has denied there is any bad blood with former Panther Reagan Campbell-Gillard, after his dramatic exit from the club. Picture: Getty Images.

NRL BANS PANTHERS STAR, FREE TO PLAY FINALS

—Dean Ritchie

Penrith winger Taylan May has been suspended for the opening two games of next season but will be cleared to play in the finals.

May was found guilty of assault last week following an incident on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast late last year, the magistrate labelling his actions “reprehensible” and “cowardly”.

He was ordered to pay his victim $1000 in compensation and a $1000 fine. He did not have a conviction recorded against him and crucially for Penrith, he has been cleared to play against Parramatta on Friday night.

The NRL accessed the court records as part of their own investigation and opted to fine May as well as suspend him, although the ban was delayed until the start of next season.

Taylan May has been banned for two games over assault.

“May will be permitted to play in the 2022 NRL finals series,” the NRL said in a statement.

“In proposing the timing of the match suspension, the NRL considered a number of factors including when the incident took place, the date at which the proceedings were finalised and the impact of a match suspension at this time of year.

“It is proposed the fine and education requirements be effective immediately.”

May has also been fined $7,500 – 50 per cent of which is suspended – and as a requirement will attend such counselling, education and training as recommended by the NRL’s Education and Wellbeing team.

He has five business days to respond to the breach notice.