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Penrith Panthers Hit Back At 'Arrogance' Claims With Cheeky Handshake Video

Penrith Panthers Hit Back At 'Arrogance' Claims With Cheeky Handshake Video

The Panthers were labelled "cocky" or "arrogant"​ following their 30-10 win over the Canberra Raiders last weekend.

Max Sherry

Max Sherry

Whoever was behind this genius idea, we salute you.

The Penrith Panthers have responded perfectly to the unsportsmanlike criticisms that have come their way in recent weeks.

In a bid to show that they're not "cocky" or "arrogant", the team posted a cheeky video online showing teammates politely shaking hands after scoring a try in training.

It's a clear nod to the fracas that unfolded during the side's 30-10 over the Canberra Raiders.

They're currently top of the NRL with five wins from five games.

But despite beating last year's Grand Finalists last weekend, the Penrith Panthers found themselves in the firing line in recent weeks.

The star-studded was team labelled "arrogant" and "cocky" as well as lacked "class and respect".

This criticism comes after the side became embroiled in an on-field altercation when Panthers fullback Stephen Crichton dragged Joe Tapine into the team's try celebrations while the Raiders interchange was waiting patiently on the sideline.

The biff was eventually broken up, but it wasn't long before some of the biggest names in rugby league had their say on the matter with the likes of Paul Kent and Paul Crawley slamming the Panthers for the way they carried themselves - not just during the incident, but throughout the entire game.

"There was a cockiness and an arrogance and against the Raiders on the weekend I thought it spilt over and it crossed the line of what's acceptable," Crawley said on Fox Sports Australia's NRL 360 show.

"There's ways to celebrate a try and ways not to celebrate a try.

"This lacked class and respect."

But rather than simply ignore all the fuss, the Panthers did something even better.

In the clip posted on their social media channels, Matt Burton rushes through and scores a try during a team training session.

But instead of wildly celebrating, he calmly shakes Charlie Staines' hand instead before walking back to his position.

Brilliant.

This winning mentality among the players clearly stems from head coach Ivan Cleary who came out in the week and publicly defended the actions of his side.

"We've been reasonably successful and what comes with that is we get a little bit of niggle toward our boys, especially because we are young," he said.

"I guess at the moment our boys are combating that however they can.

"I'm always on the lookout to make sure we're behaving the right way... I'm not too worried.

"You want that (players sticking up for each other) because if you don't then teams will keep niggling you. That's just competitive combat, it's not really anything more than that.

"I would back our team to be respectful as much as anyone in the game. They are young and in the heat of battle they might do things they might learn from, and that's what it's all about."

The Panthers now play the Brisbane Broncos for a chance to extend their unbeaten run to six games.

Featured Image Credit: Instagram/@penrithpanthers

Topics: nrl news, Canberra Raiders, Rugby League, nrl, Australia