Panthers coach Ivan Cleary says trainer Corey Bocking is “struggling” in the aftermath of the incident in their game against the Titans on Saturday.
In the latter stages of the clash, Bocking ran in front of Titans halfback Jayden Campbell as he was taking a shot at goal.
At the time, the Titans led the game 26-24, and if the conversion had been successful, the Titans would have taken a 28-24 lead.
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But instead, Campbell missed the conversion attempt.
It turned out to be crucial in the context of the game, with Nathan Cleary then slotting a two-point field goal to take the game to golden point at 26-all.
The Panthers scored a try in golden point, through Blaize Talagi, and won the game 30-26.
As a result of the incident, the Panthers were fined $50,000 and Bocking copped a five-game ban from the NRL.
Cleary said he was concerned for the welfare of Bocking.
“He’s struggling. Has been right from the time it happened,” Cleary told reporters.
“We kind of try to temper that with banter which he takes in good nature.
“But yeah, he’s struggling. He cares about his job and understands that he made a mistake and it’s become a big deal.
“The man himself, the last thing he would want is any excess attention, that’s his nature.
“You can see clearly that he was embarrassed and apologised.”
Cleary believes the five-game suspension handed down to Bocking by the NRL was harsh.
“I think it’s been a bit unfair on him, really, yeah,” Cleary added.
“I just think it’s harsh and I think it’s a little unfair.”
NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo revealed the reason the punishment was so severe was partly because Panthers trainers have been involved in six separate on-field indiscretions since 2021.
But Cleary felt it was unfair that Bocking copped a lengthy ban because of other incidents that didn’t involve him.
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“And as I said, for one person to receive a suspension based on things that have happened before, that never happens,” Cleary added.
“The fine, you can make your own judgement on that, that’s a club thing, but for Corey personally, the five-match suspension.
“As I said it’s something that was clearly a mistake, that he apologised for, we’ve apologised for, yeah, I think it’s a little excessive.”
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