Ivan the Great: Panthers full of praise for man behind title treble
Ivan the Great: The Panthers are praising the guy who brought home three titles.
Jarome Luai and the Panthers have formally withdrawn from the World Club Challenge after heaping accolades on coach Ivan Cleary, who many have forgotten despite his contributions to the team’s success.
On Monday night, Cleary led a group of Penrith supporters in viewing the first installment of Undisputed, the three-part documentary that chronicles their championship run from the previous year.
The coach confirmed to this masthead that Luai would fly to England on Friday for the pre-season clash with Super League champions Wigan, but would not play. He remained hopeful Luai would be fit for round one against Melbourne early next month.
“But he won’t play in the World Club Challenge because he’s not just ready,” Cleary said. “He can continue his rehab, and he deserves to be there as a reward for everything he’s done for our team and our club. He’s super close, I just want him staying with the team and training.” As for Cleary, it became clear during the club’s fly-on-the-wall documentary how respected and calm the coach remained in the countdown to their come-from-behind victory over Brisbane.
“Sometimes with all our success he can be overlooked,” Nathan Cleary said of his father.
“But Dad also likes it that way. He’s done a lot for our club, he’s proud of the culture we have, and the boys love playing under him, including myself.
“He’s not one for accolades. He’s never been one for that. He does it to help young men go through their lives and achieve success.
“It’s pretty crazy when you think about coaches like Wayne Bennett, and the influence he has had on the game – and continues to have on the game.
“But I’ve said it a few times with Dad, at the end of our careers we can look back and share the fond memories of what we’ve done. But until then, we want to create more.”
The Panthers lost both World Club Challenges in England after their title success in 1991 and 2003.
Last year’s shock loss to St Helens, and the emotion shown by the players after full-time, gave Cleary a new appreciation for the game.
