Jaeman Salmon comes clean after 'weak-gutted dog' spray against Raiders

Jaeman Salmon has spoken out after screaming "weak-gutted dog" after scoring the final try in Penrith's demolition job against Canberra. Salmon was thrust into the spotlight last year when Raiders coach Ricky Stuart labelled him a "weak-gutted dog" following an incident in a game between Canberra and Penrith.

Stuart later apologised and was hit with a one-game suspension and $25,000 fine. But Salmon clearly hasn't forgotten what was said.

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After crashing over under the posts for the final try in the Panthers' 53-12 win at GIO Stadium on Friday night, Salmon got up and screamed "weak-gutted dog" towards the crowd. Speaking after the game, the second-rower admitted he said the slur but denied it was aimed towards Stuart.

Salmon said he was more directing it at spectators who had been abusing him. "I want to perform every week ... (but) tonight I just got a bit more motivation from a couple of loud fans," he said.

"It was just a game, and probably the fans just add more fuel to it. I hadn't thought about it since last year when it happened, then hearing it in the crowds makes it come up again, but it's not something I'm worried about."

When asked about Salmon's moment in his post-game press conference, Penrith coach Ivan Cleary had a simple response. "Good karma - that's how I'd describe that," he said.

But Salmon said it was more important for him to contribute to the team's overall success than achieving personal milestones. "I'll play wherever for the team, it's a team-first mentality and I'm happy to do whatever," he said.

"If someone goes down in the first minute of the game, I'll slot in, and if not, I'll just find a way to get in there. I love playing in this team ... it was just good to come on at the end there and get the last try."

Ricky Stuart apologises over 'unacceptable' display

Speaking in his own press conference, Stuart apologised to fans and described Canberra's performance as "unacceptable". The Raiders were right in the game at 13-6 at half-time, but were blown off the park in the second stanza as Nathan Cleary laid on try after try.

"I'm sure a lot of fans and people out there would like to know exactly what I'm thinking, but it's better we keep it in-house and work on it," Stuart said. "I'm disappointed for all our fans, it's going to be a tough week for us all to get through that.

"I can (put it down to something) and that's what we spoke about. I'm not trying to be disrespectful in my answers, but some of that is best to be left in the rooms. We'll make some decisions in regards to how we fix it."

Canberra captain Elliott Whitehead described his side's second half as "embarrassing". He said: "The second half just wasn't good enough, we just didn't want to turn up for each other and defend. It was pretty embarrassing for us to be in the game at half-time and be blown away like that in the second half."

with AAP

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