South Sydney playmaker Cody Walker charged for kicking incident, Penrith Panthers half Jack Cogger set to miss two games
Penrith playmaker Jack Cogger says he has “no hard feelings” towards Cody Walker after the Rabbitohs veteran apologized for kicking him, but both players are set to serve on the sidelines after a rancorous relationship.
The Panthers ended their two-game losing streak and cemented the top spot in the standings. 36-14 victory over South Sydney at CommBank Stadium Friday night. The match was notable for a Walker three-try haul from Panthers winger Tom Jenkins, who took his season tally to an equal club record 25, and a breakthrough performance from Souths young winger Dayne Jennings.
Cogger was also sent to the sin bin late for a high shot on Ashton Ward, which resulted in a second-degree disorderly conduct charge that warranted a two-to-three game suspension.
But the most talked about topic was Walker’s brainstorming. This led to his guilty pleas, the rejection of a subsequent attempt at a critical juncture, and a second-degree disorderly conduct charge on Saturday; This will result in a one-week suspension if he pleads guilty. If Walker’s appeal fails, he will be sidelined for two games.
The veteran center acknowledged he “let down my teammates” and later apologized to Cogger.
Cogger said he was ready to leave the matter on the field after Cody expressed regret.
“There are no hard feelings,” Cogger said. “He’s a competitor. “Everyone has dealt with that; “The referees, the right people, dealt with it and they were not allowed to try.”
Cogger said he did not consider diving after the shooting.
“Obviously I felt like he kicked me and kept playing,” he said.
“I’m not one to play for penalties or anything like that – but he obviously kicked me. “When play was stopped, there was a bit of a rush there…
“The referees have dealt with that and I think that should always be the case. Obviously players go down when they get injured and things like that, but I don’t see the need for penalties.”
Walker has a habit of getting under the skin of his opponents, but is also known for losing his cool in the heat of the moment.
“Everyone in the league knows that,” Cogger said. “There was no plan [to bait him] And I don’t think I provoked him.
“I didn’t say anything to him during the intervention. He just reacted to something, I’m not sure what, or he felt I was holding him down for a little too long. But no, there was nothing coming from me trying to provoke him.”
The Walker incident marked the first time a player has been penalized for kicking an opponent since Melbourne’s Cameron Munster was penalized for kicking Roosters Joey Manu in the 2018 grand final.
“It wasn’t good enough,” Walker said.
“As a senior player, I have to be better in these moments and not let aggression get to me.
“I let my teammates down and I’m really sorry about that. I spoke to Jack after the game and apologized to him. My emotions got the better of me and that’s not good enough. It’s just not obvious.”
“To the boys’ credit, they worked very hard during that period. I let the team down massively.”
