Punier, sadly, and not mature (6)
I believe the answer is:
unripe
'not mature' is the definition.
(I know this)
'punier sadly' is the wordplay.
'sadly' is an anagram indicator.
'punier' is an anagram of 'UNRIPE'.
'and' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for unripe that I've seen before include "Not ready for picking" , "Still green?" , "Immature" , "Not yet mature" , "Punier (anag.)" .)