Fiery clash: Hetherington’s sin bin incident overshadows Panthers’ clinical win

Jack Hetherington, the fiery forward for the Newcastle Knights, once again found himself in the sin bin for delivering a “slap on the earhole” to a Panthers player on NRL Super Saturday.

In a clinical first half performance, the Penrith Panthers secured a 20-12 victory over the Knights at BlueBet Stadium. Dylan Edwards opened the scoring with a try, and Tyrone Peachey scored twice to give the Panthers the lead.

However, just before halftime, Hetherington was sin binned for reacting aggressively during a tussle with Penrith’s Izack Tago. After completing a tackle on Tago, the Panthers center gave Hetherington a slight shove, which provoked a strong response from the Newcastle Knights backrower.

“Right across the left earhole, the Bunker and the referee disapprove of that,” Warren Smith commented on Fox League. “That’s poor discipline from Hetherington. Although Tago’s actions were minimal, Hetherington reacted and let his emotions get the better of him. It’s a costly mistake for the away side tonight.”

The Bunker reviewed the incident, and referee Ben Cummins sent Hetherington off for a “slap in the face.”

That’s a weak as piss sin binning there for Jack Hetherington. Sent for 10 on the back of his reputation alone, star players & it would be play on, penalty at worst. #NRLPanthersKnights #NRL pic.twitter.com/GjYUrN6Omi

— Hynesight (@Hynesight7) June 24, 2023

Hetherington is well-known for his fiery nature, and this is not his first time being sin binned. According to statistician David Middleton, in 58 games across four clubs, Hetherington has been sent off once, sin binned five times, suspended six times, and spent 15 weeks on the sideline.

Despite missing five State of Origin players, the Panthers displayed the depth of their squad with a physical and clinical victory over the Knights. Penrith’s first non-completed set occurred in the 52nd minute, while they completed 39 out of 41 sets throughout the match. The Knights had only three tackles in the Knights’ red zone.

In the absence of Nathan Cleary, Jack Cogger demonstrated composure, kicked strategically (including a successful chip for Izack Tago on the first tackle), and provided support for runners inside and out.

When a tackle on Dom Young, who was sprinting towards the try line, resulted in the winger stepping out of bounds, Cogger was praised by his teammates.

Tago also had an impressive performance, running for 221 meters and delivering a powerful tackle on Ponga.

While the Panthers climbed to the top of the ladder, Newcastle remained in 14th place after suffering their third consecutive loss.

“The Knights fell apart,” commented Mal Meninga during the broadcast.

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