Casey McLean, a standout for the Panthers, may find himself sidelined after receiving a sin bin for a high tackle on Bulldogs prop Max King.
Canterbury’s back-rower Viliame Kikau was the one to open the scoring on Thursday night, and shortly after, heavy contact ensued from the kick-off as King returned the ball.
Despite being met by several defenders, King managed to get back on his feet and continued to play the ball, with the sequence of six tackles continuing without any interruptions.
However, once Penrith regained possession, referee Gerard Sutton halted play and consulted with the Bunker.
Casey McLean faces penalties for a high tackle on Max King. Nine
Referee Sutton then penalised McLean, alongside captain Isaah Yeo, after replays revealed McLean’s shoulder had struck King in the jaw.
“He might be heading for the sin bin now,” remarked Billy Slater on Nine.
As anticipated, McLean was subsequently sent off by Sutton.
Catch the 2026 NRL season live and free on Nine and 9Now.
Despite the incident occurring in the previous set, Penrith were allowed to retain possession; however, they immediately surrendered the ball back to the Bulldogs due to an error.
“Things aren’t going the Panthers’ way at the moment,” Slater noted.
Jacob Kiraz then capitalised on the one-man advantage, extending the Bulldogs’ lead, followed by Sam Hughes, who pushed the score to 16-0.
“If there’s one team notorious for an ambush, it’s the Bulldogs,” Andrew Johns commented on Nine.
Compiled by SportArena.au
Fanpage: SportArena.au.
LiveScore – Live Sports Results & Odds.
