Penrith Panthers will be without star half Nathan Cleary for at least five weeks, with the NRL coming up hard on their entry in Parramatta’s Dylan Brown.
The NSW star was charged with third-degree dangerous pitching, his second charge of the season, following his dangerous contact fine in round six.
A first guilty plea will see Cleary sidelined for five weeks, but if he challenges the charge in court and is unsuccessful, that will rise to six weeks.
If he accepts the role, he will not be available for the ladder-leading Panthers until the first week of the finals, missing games against the Raiders, Storm, Rabbitohs, Warriors and Cowboys.
Cleary was sent off for the first time in his career after Brown was headbutted into the turf in the tackle.
Nathan Cleary had his hands between Dylan Brown’s legs as he bent down. (Getty Images: Joshua Davis)
The Panthers suffered a 34-10 defeat in Friday night’s blockbuster at Western Sydney Stadium, playing with 12 men for more than an hour after Cleary was sent off in the 18th minute.
Cleary took to his Instagram story after the game to apologize for the incident.
“Purcia at myself for such a stupid moment he left the boys [and] fans come down,” he wrote.
“I’m not for it, it was a terrible technique [and] I need to be better.”
It was the first time a Penrith player had been given his marching orders in 10 years.