Penrith Panthers star man Nathan Cleary has called for those abusing Phoenix Crossland, the man whose tackle fractured Cleary’s ankle, to stop – insisting that the consequences of the tackle were pure misfortune.
Cleary went into Sunday’s NRL preliminary final with injury concerns so he started on the bench but his game was cut short after a hip drop-style tackle from Crossland just before half time. Crossland was swiftly shown a red card and he’s now been banned for four matches as a result of the tackle, which ultimately resulted in a compound fracture and a dislocated ankle.
As a result, Nathan Clearly will be out for around six months, with the playmaker set to miss out on representing Australia at the World Cup. Meanwhile, the consequences for Crossland are that he will miss the Grand Final this weekend after copping a four-match ban.
Speaking in front of the NRL judiciary, Crossland revealed that he had spoken to both Nathan and Ivan Cleary to apoligise, admitting: “He’s my favourite player in the game. To be the reason he is in hospital is killing me.”
Crossland’s remorse is evident but it’s not stopped some fans from abusing him on social media, something that was highlighted by Clarkey’s RL Column, which shared some of the vile messages sent to Crossland.
Nathan Cleary has himself shared that post and condemned the abuse of Crossland via his own Instagram.
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Nathan Cleary calls out Phoenix Crossland abuse after NRL star’s season-ending injury
Posting to his story, Cleary re-shared the post that highlighted the abuse and pleaded: “Please don’t be one of these people writing comments like this to Phoenix, it was a complete accident and he doesn’t deserve this unwarranted hate.
“He reached out to apologise and I have nothing but respect for him. He’s a competitor, and our game is made up of split second moments that sometimes lead to unfortunate circumstances.
“Comments like this are so unfair. Spread love, not hate.”
Cleary had also posted on his Instagram to confirm that he had undergone the surgery on his leg and ankle, with the playmaker promising to be back.
He said: “Surgery done… Thank you so much to everyone that has reached out, the support has been unbelievable.
“Yesterday sucked but it’s all part of the journey & it’s made me even more grateful for the people I have around me. I’ll be back.”
Penrith went on to lose the game without Cleary, despite Newcastle being down to 12 men following Crossland’s red card, meaning this weekend’s Grand Final sees Sydney Roosters take on Newcastle Knights.
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Anonymous
September 29, 2026 at 12:52 pm
Pure