Penrith Panthers trainer Shane Elford has been caught seemingly squirting water on the football before the kick-off of golden point on Saturday evening in Townsville.
The Panthers, who played out a 30-all draw with the North Queensland Cowboys on Saturday, will likely come under scrutiny for the incident and behaviour, with the competition understood to be aware of the incident per a News Corp report.
Nothing to see here. Just the Penrith Panthers trainer wetting the ball in golden point to try and gain an unfair advantage. If I was being cynical, I'd say this was cheating. I'm sure they'd never, though. Genuine question, is this common practice? pic.twitter.com/HFpH2jXFWq
— Chris (@TeddyCJD) May 10, 2025
The video shows Elford with the ball in his right hand, and a bottle in his left hand, before he gives a football clearly dripping with water to Penrith fullback Dylan Edwards for the kick-off.
Placing water on the football would understandably make it tougher to catch after being kicked off.
North Queensland Cowboys coach Todd Payten is reported to have told the publication that Elford was doing it - squirting water on the football - before every kick-off.
No video evidence has emerged at this stage outside of the incident ahead of golden point getting underway, where both teams missed field goal opportunities as they attempted to secure a vital two competition points.
There are no rules against trainers touching the football, but their role in the game is viewed dimly by fans when they become actively involved in the course of events, with plenty of examples over the years of trainers getting too close to the action.
Elford, who played 148 NRL games for the Panthers and Tigers before retiring at the end of 2010, has been involved with the Panthers in a staff capacity for a number of years.
The Panthers have not commented on the incident.
