PENRITH PANTHERS coach Ivan Cleary has revealed he had the opportunity to play in Super League but he opted to pursue a role in coaching.
Cleary is seen as one of the best coaches in the world after guiding the Panthers to a fourth successive Grand Final victory, but his journey could have been a lot different had he decided to come to England.
In his new autobiography – Not Everything Counts But Everything Matters – the 53-year-old admitted he had agreed a contract with Huddersfield Giants after believing he still had something to offer as a player.
In the end, he never got on the place and his journey to become a top-class coach got underway at the Sydney Roosters. He had played his last game for New Zealand Warriors in the 2002 Grand Final and he was ready for a new adventure.
“While that game was my last in the NRL, it wasn’t supposed to be my last game of Rugby League,” he wrote.
“That was supposed to happen with Huddersfield in the UK Super League.
“Bec (his wife Rebecca) and I were looking forward to doing some travelling with our two young children and taking on a new adventure. I’d signed with the Giants for two years and hadn’t really considered what I’d do in retirement until I took an unexpected call from Roosters chief executive Bernie Gurr, who offered me the reserve-grade coaching job.
“I’d never really considered coaching. I didn’t necessarily consider myself a ‘leader’. I had been when I played other sports like soccer and cricket as a junior, but when I played Rugby League I felt more like a senior player rather than someone others followed.
“When Bernie phoned, I felt humbled that the Roosters – who of course had just won the comp – thought so highly of me that they’d offer me a full-time job, despite my lack of experience.
“Opportunities like that don’t come around too often, and I accepted without much thought. I then had some difficult conversations with the management at Huddersfield, explaining that I’d decided to retire and take up a coaching role, and that I wanted out of my contract.”
Also in the book, Cleary admitted a plan to stop Jack Welsby in the 2023 World Club Challenge defeat for Penrith against St Helens backfired dramatically.
Writing about Jarome Luai, he admits he is a player who likes to wind up opponents and team-mates, and Cleary says he tried to curb his behaviour just once and never did it again.
“I did try to curb his on-field persona once – and it failed, so I stopped doing it,” he added.
“In the World Club Challenge, played at BlueBet Stadium in early 2023, we were up against St Helens – one of the UK’s oldest and most successful clubs. There’s a little five-eighth who plays for them called Jack Welsby.
“I’d watched him play for England against Jarome’s Samoa side in the World Cup the previous year, and I thought he’d unsettled Jarome by niggling at him all night. England won easily.
“Before the World Club Challenge, I pulled Romy (Luai) aside. ‘Don’t worry about this bloke,” I said.“Don’t get into the bulls— with him.”
“He did as I asked and we lost the match. In the dressing room afterwards, Jarome said he felt flat. “That’s not me”, he said.
“I didn’t feel like I had enough energy during the game.”
“I understood then that Romy is at his best when he’s annoying the opposition. It’s not a distraction for him – it’s part of his game.
“Since that match, I’ve just let Romy be himself. He plays best when he’s himself, as he showed me that day. You have to let people be who they are.”
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