NRL 2021: Penrith Panthers centre Brent Naden stands himself down
The fallout to Penrith centre Brent Naden’s positive drug test following the 2020 NRL grand final has taken another strange turn.
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Penrith centre Brent Naden will start the NRL season in reserve grade and miss up to the first four rounds of the competition in a self-imposed decision designed to earn back the respect of his teammates.
Naden has encountered a tumultuous off-season that has included a drugs ban for cocaine use and a $5000 fine from the NRL for breaching the code’s bubble protocols on the night before the Panthers’ grand final loss to Melbourne last year.
Now, it appears Naden won’t play NRL until at least round five.
Naden was named on the bench in the grand final and was subsequently provisionally suspended on December 1 after testing positive to cocaine after the 2020 decider.
The NRL maintained that Naden’s ingestion of cocaine was out-of-competition and not for performance-enhancing purposes.
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In accordance with the new provisions of the World Anti-Doping Code 2021, Naden was then handed a one-month suspension.
That period was backdated to the date of his provisional suspension which meant he was allowed to go back to training and competition on January 1.
Aware that he can’t afford another indiscretion, Naden has spent the past six weeks attempting to prove both to his teammates and Penrith head coach Ivan Cleary that he’s committed to turning his life around.
And despite “training the house down”, his agent confirmed that the 25-year-old felt it was necessary to regain both he and the club’s confidence by commencing the new season in the NSW Cup.
“This is not another penalty from the NRL, or the Panthers — this is about Brent wanting to show the people he respects most that he’s willing to do it the hard way to redeem himself,’’ Naden’s manager Allan Gainey said.
“He’s going to come back through reserve grade and while I don’t expect him to be there for too long, Brent will use it as a chance to regain his confidence and that of his peers.
“The coaching staff believe he’s in the best shape they’ve seen, so already I know that he’s in a really positive space.
“He’s off contract (at the end of this year) also and has a point to prove, so as I said, I don’t expect him to take too long to show everyone just how committed he is.’’The mutual decision by Naden and head coach Ivan Cleary is an important one given the club’s battle for positions in the outside backs.
The Daily Telegraph can also reveal that gun Panthers centre Stephen Crichton has suffered a minor foot injury, which will impact his pre-season build-up.
While not considered to be serious, Crichton is rated only a 50-50 chance for the club’s final pre-season trial match against Parramatta on February 27.
Interestingly, Bulldogs-bound Matt Burton has been named in the centres for Penrith’s NSW Cup trial against Canterbury on Saturday.
Burton is at the centre of a tug-of-war between Penrith and the Bulldogs over his decision to move to Belmore from 2022.
The Bulldogs desperately want Burton to be released from Penrith immediately.
But in an indication from the Panthers of why they’re refusing to let the young talent go, Cleary has selected Burton at left-centre, with new recruit Paul Momorovksi named at right-centre for this weekend’s hit-out.
SUPERCOACH SHUFFLE
At almost $500,000, Naden was in the no-go zone for KFC SuperCoach NRL to start the 2021 season, according to Tom Sangster.
With the news Naden will miss the start of Penrith’s campaign, attention now turns to his likely replacement, new recruit Paul Momirovski, who, at CTW, is valued at just $380,000.
Momirovski has entered KFC SuperCoach bargain territory following news he will start the year at centre for the Panthers.
While he’s struggled to find a regular first grade spot over his career, Momo has always proved a KFC SuperCoach gun, averaging as high as 55 in 2019.
However, he starts 2021 at a 13-point discount on that after playing only bit-parts at the Storm last season. Watchlist.
Matt Burton is set to start in the centres for the Panthers in their first trial match against Parramatta and KFC SuperCoaches should keep an eye on him. At $341,200 he is outside cheapie territory and doesn’t scream buy. But he does carry a handy HFB-5/8 dual position, and with few standout cheapies in the halves he could be one to consider if he started the season in the backs.
Originally published as NRL 2021: Penrith Panthers centre Brent Naden stands himself down
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