Nathan Cleary, Penrith Panthers and Melbourne Storm are now on war footing. The finals must be approaching

More publicly, the searing spotlight on trainer Corey Bocking’s ill-fated run in front of Jayden Campbell’s conversion shot raised hackles out west.

Ivan Cleary noted the NRL’s five-match ban for Bocking and the club’s $50,000 fine was longer than any suspension stemming from an on-field incident this year. “Ostracised” was how he described Bocking’s fate.

Back-rower Luke Garner pointed to “tall poppy syndrome” at play in the saga, an element which has no doubt played a part in previous distaste with Penrith’s winning ways.

Cleary’s call for a rule change when asked about rugby league’s latest 24-hour outrage – attacking players being tackled in the air – left Craig Bellamy unimpressed during the week.

That to and fro was all about Xavier Coates’ dominance in the air. Penrith wants it shut down, and Melbourne needs to keep it.

As Grant defended his milking of the game-changing penalty by running into Moses Leota, he suggested Penrith might want to look at their previous field goal set-ups and the presence of illegal blockers in front of Cleary.

An ‘us against them’ undercurrent serves especially well in the combative, collision-based world of rugby league, and the Panthers have worked it as well as any throughout their dynasty.

Potshots at their perceived arrogance have been worn as a badge by players in previous years, and returned in the best way possible – by being too damn good.

This year’s run up the premiership mountain is new territory, but their 2021 title bore on and off-field hallmarks to this season as well.

Trainer Pete Green was banned during the finals for stopping play at a critical point against Parramatta to attend to an injured Mitch Kenny. That, and four other incidents involving trainers in the past five years, contributed significantly to Bocking’s punishment.

Penrith were a walking wounded bunch that year, and famously kept broken feet and digits, ruptured tendons and torn muscles all in-house – only revealing after their grand final win that Dylan Edwards, James Fisher-Harris, Moses Leota and Brian To’o had no right to be playing, let alone winning a title.

As the most important forward in the game in terms of his team’s attacking blueprint, skipper Isaah Yeo’s return from a shoulder injury holds the key to Penrith’s premiership tilt.

Former players who have had their shoulders shoved the wrong way wince and tell you Yeo’s awkward fall against the Titans could be worse than the Panthers are letting on.

Little is being given away by the premiers on their talismanic lock, though To’o told reporters this week that the thought of Yeo being in pain was making him emotional, so please stop asking.

Against a Storm side without Jahrome Hughes, Ryan Papenhuyzen, and Nelson Asofa-Solomona, Penrith’s line speed was rapid throughout the first half and suffocated the NRL’s most dangerous attacking side.

To think both sides went 13 minutes without a stoppage after halftime is unheard of in the modern game – a four or five-minute stretch is enough to gas most teams.

To think Melbourne prevailed in that exchange, courtesy of a pass Blaize Talagi shouldn’t have thrown for Xavier Coates’ intercept, was a significant fillip for the southern side.

On the field, Penrith have another premiership in them. Off it, they’re ready to go to war again.

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