Tyrone May: NRL consistency on trial as Panthers player faces sentencing
Marking the first of several high-profile court cases over the next month for the NRL to deal with, Tyrone May has pleaded guilty to four charges of intentionally recording an intimate image without consent.
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Penrith Panthers star Nathan Cleary believes close friend Tyrone May’s best chance of making up for his mistakes is by returning to the NRL.
Cleary's view comes as May prepares to return to Penrith Local Court tomorrow for sentencing over a string of charges related to the sex tape scandal that rocked the Panthers 11 months ago.
Marking the first of several high-profile court cases involving NRL players over the next month, May has pleaded guilty to four charges of intentionally recording an intimate image without consent.
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How the NRL respond to the verdict will again test the code’s level of consistency, which has been criticised in the wake of Brisbane forward David Fifita escaping NRL punishment despite allegedly striking a nightclub security guard in Bali last November. Fifita apologised to the security guard and released without charge.
May, 23, was one of the first players to be stood down under the NRL's “no fault” stand-down rule last March and had to watch the entire 2019 season from the grandstands.
His future in the NRL will only be determined after sentencing.
Yet Cleary hopes May is given the chance to use rugby league as a means of proving he's learned his lesson.
“That’s my main goal (to play with May again),”' Cleary said.
“Tyrone is one of my best mates and I'll be there to support him whatever he’s going through.
“Hopefully he does get to play this year but whatever happens, happens. He’s accepted what he did and I think he's ready to move forward from that.''
Cleary said May had continued to train with the Panthers during his almost 12-month suspension and with his ability to play a number of positions, is viewed as a vital cog in Penrith's 2020 campaign.
"I'd love to be able to play with Tyrone. He's ready to play,'' Cleary said.
"He's a pretty strong-minded guy and footy is his passion and the best way to move forward for him is to be playing footy.
"He's been looking pretty good, he's had a few injury setbacks, but other than that he's been raring to go.
"He's a very talented football player and it's his passion to play footy.
"The thing about Tyrone is, he can cover a lot of positions so he's perfect off the bench.
"He can fill in the backline, at lock or at hooker, he can play in the halves as well, where Jarome (Luai) is a definite X-factor and then there's Burto (Matt Burton) as well, there's a fair bit of depth there if Tyrone is sweet to play, then we're lucky we have that.''
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Panthers coach Ivan Cleary has spoken about the impact the sex-tape scandal had on the club prior to the start of last season.
The Penrith head coach said it undeniably derailed the club's finals ambition.
His son said yesterday that this year's pre-season was in stark contrast to 12 months ago.
"To have a drama like that it can be tough on the team involved, but it's in the past and I don't want to dwell on that,'' Cleary said.
"Hopefully it doesn't happen again.
"It's hard when it's one of your mates going through it. You go to work with them everyday so it's hard in
that aspect.
"It's hard because you always see the team's name in the paper everyday.
"It's been a lot more settled (this year).''
Originally published as Tyrone May: NRL consistency on trial as Panthers player faces sentencing