KIERSTEN DUKE: Phoenix Crossland made a grave mistake with his Nathan Cleary tackle. But the abuse is too much

There is no denying Phoenix Crossland made a horrible mistake. His tackle on Nathan Cleary in the NRL preliminary final left one of the game’s biggest stars with a devastating injury. It was a mistake that deserved to be scrutinised by the judiciary.

But what has followed is an entirely different matter. The social media backlash against Crossland has been nothing short of disgraceful, and it is a reminder that somewhere along the way, some sporting fans have forgotten the difference between holding a player accountable and subjecting them to abuse.

Crossland made a mistake. A serious one which he has openly shown an enormous amount of remorse for. But he is not a criminal, nor is he a villain who deserves to have his character torn apart by thousands of strangers hiding behind their keyboards.

The images of Cleary being stretchered from the field were heartbreaking. Teammate Dylan Edwards’ reaction of burying his head in his hands was copied by fans watching on their screens at home. Cleary’s injury was a cruel blow for a player who has given so much to the game. Nobody would begrudge Panthers supporters their anger or disappointment.

But there is a difference between being angry about a tackle and directing threats and personal abuse at another human being.

What makes the online reaction even harder to stomach is that Cleary himself has publicly defended Crossland, describing the tackle as a complete accident and asking fans to stop sending him abuse. If the injured player can show compassion towards the man who injured him, surely the rest of us can do the same.

Crossland already has to live with the consequences of his actions. He was sent from the field, faced the judiciary and has had to deal with the knowledge that his tackle caused a serious injury to another player on top of being suspended for four matches and therefore missing playing in Sunday’s grand final. He doesn’t need thousands of strangers adding to that burden.

The statistics surrounding online abuse make this more than just a rugby league issue. Australia’s eSafety Commissioner found that 18 per cent of adults surveyed had personally experienced online hate in the previous year. More than half of those who experienced it reported at least one significant negative impact on their wellbeing.

And elite athletes are among these adults. A 2025 Rugby League Players Association survey found that 13 per cent of male NRL players and 9 per cent of NRLW players had experienced targeted abuse, with social media accounting for more than 80 per cent of those experiences.

These are not just numbers pulled from thin air. They represent real people who have to wake up the next morning, go to training, face their teammates and get on with their lives. All while potentially being bombarded with abuse from people who have never met them.

Crossland is sadly not the first athlete to experience this. In football, a study by Britain’s communications regulator Ofcom found that 68 per cent of Premier League players received at least one abusive tweet during the period examined. Some were targeted every single day.

Tennis has also seen players subjected to appalling online abuse, including death threats and threats against their families following defeats. These examples demonstrate how quickly sporting disappointment can turn into something far more sinister when fans take their frustrations online.

The impact of this abuse on mental health should never be underestimated. Athletes are often portrayed as invincible, but they are human beings who experience anxiety, self-doubt and emotional distress just like everyone else. No human, no matter how mentally strong, can cop being publicly vilified by thousands of people for simply doing their job.

Crossland now has to deal with missing the biggest game of his career. The Knights are preparing for their first grand final in 25 years and he will have to watch from the sidelines. He has also had to face the fact that his actions caused a serious injury to another player.

That is already a heavy price to pay.

There is also something particularly disappointing about the fact that Cleary, the man who suffered the injury, has had to step in and defend the player responsible. His message to fans was simple. Show some compassion.

Perhaps that is the most important lesson to take from this entire saga.

Rugby league is a brutal game. Players put their bodies on the line every week, knowing that injuries are an unfortunate part of the sport. That doesn’t mean dangerous tackles should go unpunished. But it does mean we need to recognise that not every bad outcome is the result of malicious intent.

Crossland deserves to be held accountable for his tackle. He does not deserve to be threatened, harassed or publicly humiliated.

We spend so much time talking about mental health in sport, encouraging players to speak up and reminding them that their wellbeing matters. Yet when a player makes a mistake in front of millions of people, some fans seem to abandon that compassion entirely.

There is nothing wrong with criticising a player. There is everything wrong with making their life miserable because of one moment on a football field.

If rugby league prides itself on mateship, toughness and looking after one another, perhaps it’s time those values extended beyond the 80 minutes.

Crossland made a mistake. The judiciary has dealt with it. It’s time the online mob did the same and left him alone.