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September 18, 2021

Eels coach blows up over NRL finals scandal Mitch Kenny stays down. Photo: Kayo.

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The truth of the biggest controversy to rock the NRL finals has been uncovered, but Eels coach Brad Arthur is still absolutely seething.

Penrith has survived the most ridiculous game of the season to move through to a grand final qualifier against the Melbourne Storm.

The Eels’ season, meanwhile, is over in the cruellest of fashions after a controversial blockbuster that had everything.

It was the best game of the season, despite just two tries being scored in the Panthers’ 8-6 victory.

The anguish of losing in such tough, dramatic circumstances was clearly still fresh in Eels coach Brad Arthur’s mind as he showed up to his post-match press conference ready to explode.

He said Penrith coach Ivan Cleary’s “whingeng” to the referees this month was a factor in the moments the Panthers were allowed to get away with causing breaks in play on suspect grounds. Those breaks in play were potentially decisive in the thrilling final moments.

Arthur’s biggest complaint surrounded a point of high drama when Panthers forward Mitch Kenny hobbled off the field right at the moment the Eels were running with momentum looking for the match-winning try in the 76th minute.

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Kenny stayed down and video replays showed he had his ankle stepped on.

The play was stopped while Kenny was helped off the field and was eventually replaced by Tevita Pangai. The stoppage allowed the Panthers’ defence to rest and re-set.

It also allowed the Panthers an opportunity to use a free interchange they still had up their sleeves as a result of Marata Niukore being placed on report for a high tackle earlier.

There was a suggestion on Channel 9 Penrith had already exceeded their number of interchanges, but the truth about the free interchanges was uncovered in the minutes after the game.

The incident had Eels legend Peter Sterling unhappy in the commentary box for Channel 9, but Arthur was entirely seething.

“There’s a lot of disappointed players in the sheds, they’re shattered,” Arthur said.

“You could see they really wanted that.”

When asked if the Kenny stoppage was fair, Arthur responded: “There’s been a bit of complaining over the last couple of weeks and they got what they were after from the back of the whingeing.

“How many stoppages were there tonight? How many when we were starting to get on top? There was a lot. Bunker gets involved. It was a seven-two penalty count. Bunker gets involved for what reasons?

Speaking to reporters after the match, Arthur didn’t mince his words when asked if Ivan Cleary’s complaining about the referees helped Penrith’s causes.

“It might have helped them tonight,” he said.

“That’s alright, I’m proud of the boys, we’ll just get on with it and we’ll go again next year. It is what is. We’ve got to move on, we had out chances.”

Arthur’s comments sparked a war of words to errupt between him and Cleary, who defended his team against accusations of bending the rules with players staying down.

“I don’t understand that. I made a comment (about) what I believe in last week. I don’t know how that helped anyone, I didn’t talk to anyone this week,” he said of the pressure he and Wayne Bennett put on referees last week.

Sterling and Panthers great Brad Fittler were also critical of the decision and the rules that allow medical staff behind play to call an instant halt to play.

Fittler said the rules “encourage” players to stay down.

“The fact is, he was behind the play, it wasn’t a safety issue, it was an ankle injury. You wonder why the game had to be stopped,” he said.

Sterling said the stoppage was “the worst thing that can happen to you” when about to score.

The NRL confirmed after the match that the Panthers will play the Storm at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday night for a spot in the grand final.

For 80 minutes, it was complete madness.

For much of those 80 minutes, the Eels could have been thinking they were about to set up a date with the Storm.

Both Parramatta and Penrith deserve to be there, but finals football can be the cruellest of all.

The Eels had no right to still be in the contest in the final 10 minutes after repeatedly denying the Panthers a knockout punch.

Their defence was stubborn and brave to the point of insanity.

It took an other-worldly effort to deny the red-hot Panthers, who threw everything at them.

The Eels even had a chance to win it in the final four minutes when an Api Koroisau knock-on gave them possession camped in their opposition’s red zone.

Just like their own defence had done earlier, the Panthers’ defence was stretched, bashed and bent – but the Eels couldn’t break it down.

The victory is the first time Penrith has ever beaten its biggest rival in a finals match.

Second half: ‘Bad look’ as star takes a dive

Blake Ferguson has come under fire for a shameless attempt to milk a penalty in a moment that had players from both teams running in from everywhere during a messy melee.

The star winger stayed on the ground after a tackle clutching his head before some words from a Panthers star saw him spring to his feet and charge at his opponent.

The moment Ferguson went from his death bed to a raging bull in the space of one second had legends Peter Sterling and Cameron Smith shaking their heads.

“The crusher tackle was not as serious as he was making it out to be. That’s a bad look,” Sterling said on Channel 9.

“That is ridiculous.”

Smith said Ferguson had “milked it beautifully”.

When the dust settled Penrith began to get on top in the arm wrestle, but were being desperately denied by the determined defence from Parramatta.

First half: Panthers star’s ‘nightmare’

Waqa Blake put Parramatta ahead 6-0 after 10 minutes when he made Dylan Edwards pay for a moment that left the Panthers fullback red-faced.

It wasn’t the last time the Penrith star had his pants pulled down in the first half as a result of terrifying high kicks from Mitchell Moses.

A soaring bomb from Moses swirled menacingly in the air and Edwards paid the ultimate price for letting the Steeden bounce.

The ball bounced into the path of Blake, who scooped it up and charged to the try-line untouched.

The Eels’ defence had repeatedly denied the Panthers when camped inside their red zone, but they were finally blown over by a touch of class from Panthers halfback Nathan Cleary.

Cleary tied the game up at 6-6 when his perfect grubber sat up nicely for Kurt Capewell.

It was just the start of the drama as both the Eels and Panthers squandered opportunities to score.

Edwards was lucky not to cough up another try when he spilled another Moses bomb that was picked up by the Eels and ended up with Blake diving over the try line in the corner.

Edwards was saved by a forward pass by Clinton Gutherson before it ended up in Blake’s hands.

“Dylan Edwards is having a nightmare tonight,” Eels legend Peter Sterling said on Channel 9.

In the end it was only a penalty goal from Cleary in the 40th minute that separated the two teams.

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