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Find your Sport Nation frequencyPanthers' fifth-straight victory comes at a cost
Jasper Bruce, AAP • July 14th, 2025 2:16 pm
Penrith's Izack Tago is set to miss Friday's clash with South Sydney under a suspension | Photo: Dan Himbrechts/AAP
Izack Tago has become the second Penrith player in a month to be banned for a hip-drop-style tackle that was missed by the on-field referee.
Tago has been offered a one-game suspension for the shot that injured Kitione Kautoga late in the first half of the Panthers' 32-10 win over Parramatta on Sunday.
Eels second-rower Kautoga was unable to finish the game, with coach Jason Ryles indicating he had suffered a syndesmosis injury in his left ankle.
"He'll probably miss a couple of weeks now. He's in a boot," Ryles said.
"We've had a couple of syndesmosis this year, so our performance team's had a bit of practice on rehabbing them."
Try-scorer Kitione Kautoga was unable to finish the match for the Eels after copping the injury | Photo: Mark Evans/AAP
Ryles would not be drawn to comment on Tago's tackle, other than to say it was "very" frustrating that referee Peter Gough had not paid the Eels a penalty at the time.
Less than a minute after Kautoga limped from the field, the Panthers took the half-time lead through Luke Garner and never trailed again.
Tago will miss Friday's match against South Sydney if he pleads guilty to grade-two dangerous contact, and would risk also missing the next game against Wests Tigers by challenging the charge.
His ban comes after Panthers teammate Scott Sorensen accepted a two-game ban for the hip-drop-style tackle that injured Dallin Watene-Zelezniak's ankle in the round-16 win over the Warriors.
On that occasion, Sorensen also went unpenalised on-field, though he was placed on report at halftime.
Four-time premiership-winner Sorensen is set to return from suspension and face the Rabbitohs at CommBank Stadium, where the Panthers will hunt a sixth consecutive win.
Penrith could keep Paul Alamoti in the backline for that game following a strong performance against the Eels, or may move Garner to the centres in Tago's place.
