NRL news live updates: Round 21 team lists, judiciary hearings; Ivan Cleary unfazed by Panthers form; Josiah Karapani court hearing, $350 fine for drink driving

Panthers coach Ivan Cleary isn’t too worried about his side’s recent form, despite losing three out of their past four games before and after Origin finishing.

“Not big concerns at all,” Cleary told media on Tuesday.

“They are all different and the Origin period definitely has a part in that, but they are three totally different games and we had a good one in there against Souths.

“We’ve come out of Origin looking forward to the rest of the year, get some training under our belts and get some cohesion back into the team.”

Cleary was also asked about the potential return of hooker Mitch Kenny, who has been sidelined for most of the year with a leg injury.

“Nah, you won’t see him this week - he’s going all right, there’s no timeline - we’re not gonna rush him,” the four-time premiership winner said.

Rabbitohs captain Cameron Murray is set for a stint on the sidelines.

According to The Sydney Morning Herald, the star forward has suffered an ankle injury against the Raiders last weekend and could miss up to a month in a major blow to South Sydney’s finals hopes with seven rounds remaining.

It comes as uncertainty surrounds Latrell Mitchell, who has been sidelined for a number of months due to back and calf injuries.

The Herald reports that Mitchell might not play again this season.

Souths will take on Melbourne in round 21.

Bulldogs winger Marcelo Montoya has retired from the NRL, effective immediately.

The local Bankstown Bulls junior had planned on seeing out the season, but will call it quits with seven rounds remaining.

“Although I had the intention to finish off the season, the reality is my body just can’t keep up with the rigours of first-grade footy anymore,” Montoya said.

“I want to thank the Bulldogs for giving me my NRL debut back in 2017 and for bringing me back home to allow me to finish my career where it started.

“I’m excited to begin my next chapter - and will be cheering the boys on as they prepare for a big back end of the season.”

Canterbury boss Phil Gould paid tribute to the retiring fan-favourite.

“Marcelo has been wonderful for our Club since his return,” he said.

“His professionalism and work ethic, his care factor for his team-mates, his toughness and resilience, have all been an example to our younger generation of players. He’s been a valuable and very popular team member.

“He’s a real Bulldog.”

Broncos winger Josiah Karapani has been fined $350 and copped a three-month suspension from driving after pleading guilty to drink drivng.

The young flyer is only on a provisional licence and returned a breath analysis reading of 0.037 last month, resulting in being charged by police.

Karapani fronted court on Tuesday morning. No conviction was recorded.

“Brisbane will continue to work closely with the NRL integrity unit before determining what additional club-imposed sanctions might be imposed,” an official club statement said.

A premiership winner, Karapani has been involved in two off-field incidents this season, which saw him stood down by the Broncos.

He returned in round 20 in the upset win over the Panthers.

“I’m very sorry for my actions,” Karapani told media as he left court.

Dragons boss Tim Watsford has taken a swipe at the NRL match officials, claiming that “people’s jobs are stake” when poor decisions are made.

Despite being stranded at the bottom of the ladder with just two wins all season, St George Illawarra unveiled Dean Young as the full-time coach for 2027.

Young and Watsford fronted media on Tuesday morning regarding the decision, where the chief executive was asked about the club’s results this year, where he pointed to controversial calls in a number of closes games in the past month.

“As a club, you’re kind of looked at by wins or losses; I’m not shying away from that, that’s the game we live in,” Watsford said.

“But you could argue there’s three, possibly four games in Dean’s tenure that very much could have been a W next to it versus the L.

“That’s where pressure comes. This is beyond the football field a little bit; it’s got people’s jobs [at stake]. Dean’s been auditioning with some pretty ordinary calls.

“I called out a couple in Canberra and obviously on the weekend we saw a few, and there was a couple in Newcastle.”

It comes after captain Damien Cook suggested teams down the bottom of the ladder receive less 50/50 calls than some of their higher-placed rivals.

The joint venture will host the Gold Coast Titans in round 21 at Kogarah Oval.

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