AM's Nicky Styris has hit out at injured Penrith Panthers star Jarome Luai after he took a cheeky swipe at the NZ Warriors following his side's playoff victory on Saturday.
Luai took to Instagram following the Panther's impressive 32-6 victory at BlueBet Stadium, posting a story with the caption, "Up the Pahs".
Luai was taking a dig at the Warriors' catchphrase "Up the Wahs" which has become increasingly popular throughout New Zealand and Australia.
It wasn't just Luai who took a dig at the Warriors. The Panthers posted on Twitter "Up the Pahs" as well, which led to fans accusing the club of being "arrogant".
The posts didn't go down well with AM news and sports reader Styris.
"He was just completely taking the mickey out of the Warriors," she said.
"It was so unnecessary. When you're a player, you let your talking happen on the field. They had completely pantsed us [Warriors], so just take the victory with a bit of humility instead of trying to steal a catchcry we've all become quite fond of."
The Panthers were quick to realise their mistake following their Twitter posting, with the club's chief executive Matt Cameron reportedly phoning Warriors boss Cameron George on Sunday to apologise on behalf of the club.
The club also deleted the controversial post.
"I've spoken to the Warriors and issued an apology on behalf of the club," Cameron told the Sydney Morning Herald.
"We apologise for any offence caused as a result of our post. It has since been taken down."
The catchphrase has been incredibly popular this season. Among the luminaries recently captured spouting the phrase are Golden State Warriors and USA basketball coach Steve Kerr, Kangaroos great Willie Mason, Brisbane Broncos fullback Reece Walsh and All Blacks players, while a young Warriors fan's surprise interjection on live TV has also helped the catchcry go viral.
The Warriors will face the NRL's hottest team, the Newcastle Knights, in the playoffs on Saturday at Go Media Stadium Mt Smart in a quest to keep their championship hopes alive.
Join Newshub at 6pm Saturday for live updates of the Warriors v Knights NRL playoff clash
