Salmon ’rattled’ at Ricky’s big spray

PANTHERS players have rallied around Jaeman Salmon after the young playmaker was labelled a “weak-gutted dog” by Raiders coach Ricky Stuart in a stunning spray following Penrith’s big win in the nation’s capital.

The shock post-game attack came after Salmon was placed on report for lashing out with a boot in a tackle and kicking Tom Starling in the genitals, which resulted in a fine from the match review committee.

“I think he was a bit rattled by it all,” halves partner Sean O’Sullivan said after he and Salmon orchestrated a 20point win with Nathan Cleary and Jarome Luai missing.

“It’s never nice to see someone saying anything about you, and obviously with social media these days, it’s not just one comment. There are thousands of people online.

“He’s fine and he understands that he can’t let external influences dictate how he feels.

“He’s someone we value at the club and he’s friends with every single person in this organisation. I can’t speak highly enough of Jaeman.”

Salmon’s teammates didn’t want to be drawn into the drama but admitted they were taken aback by comments about one of the most popular players in the squad.

“It was a little bit of shock at first,” utility Mitch Kenny said.

“I thought someone was having a bit of a joke.

“But it’s a bit disappointing, those comments. We know who Jaeman is, Jaeman knows who he is and so does his family, so we try to not let that affect him too much.

“We’ll all be supporting him through this time and we’ll move forward as a club.

“He had all the boys and the coaching staff around him straight away, so we’re giving him as much support as we can. It was disappointing and I can’t imagine what it’s like being him or his family at the minute.”