Penrith Panthers duo Jarome Luai and Jaeman Salmon have been caught in a heated argument following full-time in their 13-12 loss to the Brisbane Broncos.
The pair were spotted getting into it after some final siren had rang, with Luai criticising Salmon for a late-game error, which the back-row fired back at in an expletive-ridden conversation.
Despite criticising one another, the Channel 9 commentary team took umbrage to the footage, claiming it's just another day in rugby league.
“I understand we love it and we're part of the media and we're going to talk about it … but it's rugby league. It's a tough, brutal spot,” Gallen said on the network post-match.
“These guys compete for a living, it's what they do, they're so competitive, testosterone-fuelled blokes that are trained to compete on every single play for 80 minutes of the game – and when something doesn't go right they want to know why and they have a discussion about it. Who cares?
“They care about the result, they care about the game, so just let it go.”
While Origin rivals Gallen and Jonathan Thurston were often at odds with one another on the field, the former Kangaroos certainly agreed on this one.
“They excelled the last two years, they played perfect footy about every time. So when someone misses their assignment, you want to know why you weren't there," Thurston said on-air.
“I think it's just part and parcel of rugby league, you have those conversations… bury it and move on.”
The pair will have a chance to regroup when they line-up at BlueBet Stadium again next week, this time against the South Sydney Rabbitohs on Thursday night.
