The harmony looks to have been shattered at the Panthers club over the weekend, with leading players Michael Jennings and Masada Iosefa allegedly involved in a booze related fight at the Mean Fiddler Hotel in Rouse Hill.
With Penrith notching up some good form in recent weeks and working hard to shrug off pressure, their improvement could be set back substantially after this latest mind boggling incident.
Apparently Jennings and Iosefa were carted off to Castle Hill Police Station to be quizzed about the fight. And it’s understood at this stage, at least Isoefa has been charged.
As is so often the case now, the Panthers club will hold their own investigations into the incident, but it’s hard to repair the damage from these headline making incidents. With the NRL competition so close, every element of harmony is required to consistently challenge each week.
Its believed the Penrith Panthers playing group were attending Jennings’ 21st birthday at the Mean Fiddler venue.
Police confirmed 21-year-old My Druitt person was charged with “Affray, common assault, assault police and fail to quit licensed premises” and also another 21-year-old Dharruk person was slapped with an “affray, resist arrest and fail to quite licensed premises” charge.
Police also confirming that at approx 11pm last night, a group of males were asked to leave the Fiddler venue at Rouse Hill because of intoxication.
Apparently the men initially complied, but just under half an hour later – the group returned and confronted security guards at the venue. Allegations suggest a brawl broke out.
Police apparently sped to the venue and arrived while a brawl was in progress, subsequently arresting an 21-year-old Mt Druitt person.
The second person, a 21-year-old from Dharruk, apparently ran from Police when confronted. When they caught up with him, he initially resisted arrest and was then subdued with capsicum spray.
The Panthers club is expected to release a statement in the coming hours covering the situation.