NRL Round 7: Knights fuming over controversial hair-pull penalty, Nathan Cleary clutch for Panthers

Newcastle were furious after a crunch call went against them in their heart-breaking loss to Penrith, while huge questions surround the Cowboys — check out all the big talking points.

Cowboys players celebrate a try against the Warriors. Picture: NRL Photos

A crucial hair-pulling penalty against Newcastle’s Tyson Frizell which led to a key Penrith try has left Newcastle furious after Frizell labelled the tackle as “incidental”.

Knights coach Adam O’Brien said he would instruct his team to grow their hair long if referee’s start penalising for hair-pulls.

Newcastle skipper Frizell was sanctioned after pulling down five-eighth Jarome Luai from behind. Replays showed Frizell grabbed towards the top of the back of Luai’s jersey as he tried to bring him down. The No.6’s free-flowing locks were caught in the cross-fire with referee Peter Gough penalsing Frizell.

“When his hair is hanging halfway down his back — it’s incidental if I do pull his hair,” Frizell said.

“It wasn’t intentional. I’d like to tie his hair up. I wasn’t going for any hair. When it’s hanging halfway down your back, it’s hard not to grab a bit of it.”

Tyson Frizell was penalised for pulling the hair of Jarome Luai. Picture: Getty Images

The call was costly for the Knights. From the ensuring set Penrith scored through Jaeman Salmon which drew the scores level. They eventually lost 16-15 when Panthers star Nathan Cleary nailed a clutch golden-point field goal.

O’Brien labelled the decision as “ridiculous”.

“I’ll start telling them to grow their hair long,” O’Brien said. “They are just trying to make tackles.”

All opposition coach Ivan Cleary would say “(the Knight) may have got a few good (calls).”

Despite the loss the Newcastle chant still echoed throughout McDonald Jones Stadium as the players laid slumped on the surface dealing with their heartbreaking golden point loss.

They lost the game Newcastle, but they have won back the region with a near sell-out crowd finally having a team they can be proud of.

They led the defending premiers 14-6 at half-time and were easily the better of the two teams. They completed at 90 per cent in the first half but that dropped to 67 in the second half.

Typically, the Panthers made them pay.

“I’m really happy with some of the effort,” O’Brien said. “’I’m not being over critical. Tonight’s not the night for them to be hammered. We didn’t control the first part of the second half.”

The Knights will welcome back representative players Kalyn Ponga and Jacob Saifiti against the Cowboys next week but will still be without Adam Elliott for at least two more matches.

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Nathan Cleary was the man once again for the Panthers. Picture: Getty Images

INJURY WOES FOR PANTHERS

Penrith are fearing Liam Martin is set for another stint on the sidelines after the back-rower looked to have re-injured his troublesome hamstring. Martin had not played since round two but re-aggravated the injury early in the match.

The Panthers are also sweating on the fitness of Scott Sorensen who picked up two knee knocks.

Newcastle’s Brodie Jones is expected to be sidelined for six weeks with a torn quadriceps.

COWBOYS LOOK COOKED AS BIZARRE SELECTIONS BACKFIRE

By Martin Gabor

Shaun Johnson’s incredible comeback shows no signs of slowing down after the veteran halfback produced a vintage display to heap more misery on a Cowboys side that could finish the round in the bottom two.

There were plenty of good judges ready to write off Johnson after a couple of indifferent years, but the magic man continues to wind back the clock with clutch plays when it matters most.

He was the best player on the field again as the Warriors held on for a 22-14 win at home to continue their hot start to 2023, with Johnson delivering three telling plays in the second half to get his side over the line.

Warriors players celebrate a try to Josh Curran against the Cowboys at Mt Smart Stadium. Picture: Getty Images

COWBOYS LOOK COOKED

There’s a very real chance the Cowboys will finish the round in 16th place after Todd Payten’s side failed to show anything in attack despite dominating possession and territory for much of Saturday’s contest.

This is a team that surprised many in 2022 by playing with an attacking freedom that was a joy to watch, but they’ve become pedestrian this season with some worrying signs emerging across the ditch.

North Queensland had 55 tackles inside the attacking 20 metre zone compared to just 24 for the Warriors, yet they could only muster three tries with one of those coming from a splendid Scott Drinkwater grubber.

They do have some players missing but their spine is intact and should be a lot more creative than what we saw on Saturday.

The loss leaves them on four competition points and miles behind where they were last year, with the top four seemingly out of reach if they can’t turn it around.

“We’re getting close, but close is not good enough,” Payten said, disappointed his side couldn’t finish off several chances out wide.

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The Cowboys needed more from their marquee man Jason Taumalolo. Picture: Getty Images

PUZZLING PICKS

Payten was heavily criticised for underplaying Jason Taumalolo a couple of years ago, with the coach adamant that preservation now was the key to ensuring his marquee man would see out his mega deal.

The powerhouse lock is averaging just over 50 minutes per game and he was nowhere to be seen on Saturday, running for just 129 metres on a day he needed to be close to 200.

That’s because the Cowboys were missing big men like Jordan McLean and Heilum Luki, which made it even more bizarre that Payten opted to start Jake Granville in the middle against a humongous Warriors pack.

The pint-sized utility ran for just 55 metres and was an easy target for the home side’s big men, with Addin Fonua-Blake able to muscle his way over for the opening try.

“We pushed ‘Reubs’ (Reuben Cotter) to the bench to save us an interchange,” Payten explained.

“Once Reubs came on, he was always going to finish the game. It gave us a bit of flexibility with the rotations. Jake has been really good for us the past fortnight, and this was a little bit of a reward for the way he’s going for us.

“I thought he was really strong for us tonight.”

Originally published as NRL Round 7: Knights fuming over controversial hair-pull penalty, Nathan Cleary clutch for Panthers