Penrith punish rusty Roosters
10 hours ago | Aidan Edgecomb
Panthers captain and halfback Peter Wallace has come out in defence of his actions after there were suggestions he played concussed in yesterday's loss to the Dragons at WIN Stadium.
The NRL will today analyse footage of an incident inside the final five minutes of the Easter Sunday clash which saw Wallace looking groggy after an attempted tackle gone wrong on Dragons interchange forward Jake Marketo. Most in question will be footage of him crawling back to the defensive line, then leaning on a goalpost to seemingly gain his bearings.
Wallace was quizzed after the game as to whether he was concussed in the incident, but protested: "No, I was alright."
Wallace's potential incident wasn't the only drama out of a dramatic afternoon in Wollongong, with two Dragons facing potential match review charges. Joel Thompson (shoulder charge) and Mike Cooper (crusher tackle) were both placed on report. Thompson's looked particularly nasty with Penrith fullback Will Smith leaving the field after their heads appeared to clash.
Panthers' second rower Bryce Cartwright was also forced off the park after a severe dislocation of his thumb, while St George Illawarra's Euan Aitken came off late with a cork to the quad.
Penrith are away to the Eels next Sunday at Pirtek Stadium.