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Just two years ago, leading into the 2021 grand final, Ivan Cleary was being mentioned in unflattering terms alongside Brian Smith.<\/p>\n
Then, Cleary\u2019s record of 369 premiership games for no premiership rings ranked behind only Smith\u2019s 601 matches coached without a title, unfair as the boiling down of a career to one triumph may seem.<\/p>\n
Now just 80 minutes away from a third straight title, Cleary is now due to be mentioned in alongside Craig Bellamy, Trent Robinson and Wayne Bennett as the most successful coaches of the NRL era. After all, not since Jack Gibson has a coach delivered three consecutive premierships from as many attempts.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe should be spoken about like that but for whatever reason he isn\u2019t,\u201d Panthers co-captain Isaah Yeo said of Cleary.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s extremely calm and incredibly smart but probably doesn\u2019t get the raps he deserves. But trust me, he gets them in these four walls.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not sure why. He\u2019s a pretty quiet bloke, he doesn\u2019t put himself out in the media all that much. He doesn\u2019t say anything that might ruffle feathers.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe just worries about what\u2019s happening here [at Penrith] and as a team that trickles down. We just worry about what we\u2019re doing.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd then you stop and think about the last few years, we\u2019ve lost assistant coaches, we\u2019ve lost players in key positions but everyone he brings in, he coaches so that they can come in seamlessly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Casting back to those weeks before Cleary\u2019s breakthrough title triumph, after grand final defeats in 2011 and 2020, brings us full circle, in more ways than one.<\/p>\n
Cleary made a rare departure from the understated, media-averse nature Yeo speaks of, firing a rare shot about son Nathan being illegally targeted by defenders.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Panthers coach Ivan Cleary and son Nathan embrace after last year\u2019s grand final win over Parramatta.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Getty<\/cite><\/p>\n Bennett \u2013 the reigning heavyweight champion when it comes to manipulating the media to his advantage \u2013 played him off a break, using a week\u2019s worth of news cycle to spark a Rabbitohs upset in week one of the finals.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll be doing what I\u2019m good at and staying in the background this week,\u201d a chastened Cleary said when Penrith booked a return bout with South Sydney in the decider.<\/p>\n He\u2019s done exactly that ever since, politely declining calls and interview requests that were fielded leading into Penrith\u2019s first 2020 grand final under him.<\/p>\n Like clockwork, the same predictable storyline about Penrith\u2019s kick blockers and opposition pressure on Nathan Cleary has resurfaced this week. Just as they did during last year\u2019s finals series as well.<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe everyone just reads their notes from the previous year,\u201d Cleary deadpanned during the week.<\/p>\n Cleary himself is a bit the same. Of course he evolves, questions and learns along the way to a fourth straight grand final and place among the game\u2019s great coaches.<\/p>\n James Maloney \u2013 a heavyweight pest of the most serious repute \u2013 once recalled only \u201cone or two\u201d blow-ups from Cleary during two lengthy, separate stints together at the Warriors and Panthers.<\/p>\n \u201cEven in 2019 when we were struggling, I didn\u2019t see any blow-ups. He\u2019s always been that level-headed guy you see, and that\u2019s my favourite thing about him as a coach,\u201d back-rower Liam Martin said.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s never tried to change that side of who he is, it\u2019s stayed the same. He\u2019ll give you the talk, and it\u2019s that \u2018I\u2019m not mad, I\u2019m just disappointed\u2019 talk. It makes you feel even worse, you wish he did spray you.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel like he does get overlooked a little bit, I think he deserves a lot more recognition for what he\u2019s done in the game. Especially with what he\u2019s done over the last few years here, it\u2019s just incredible how happy we are and how well we run as a club. He\u2019s certainly made me the player I am today and I owe him a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n Watch the NRL Grand Final Exclusive Live and Free on Channel 9 and <\/i><\/b>9Now<\/i><\/b>.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\nMost Viewed in Sport<\/h2>\n
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