Ivan Cleary was fired by Phil Gould in 2015, according to Penrith Panthers CEO Brian Fletcher, rather than the club making the decision.
Prior to Sunday’s Panthers vs. Brisbane Broncos grand final, the team’s executive coach made a brief but significant statement on Cleary’s exit eight years prior.
The comment coincides with a reported conflict between Gould and Cleary.
Ivan Cleary “wasn’t actually sacked by the club,” according to the Panthers CEO.
Late in 2015, with Penrith just missing out on the wooden spoon, Cleary was fired as head coach.
At the time, Gould was the general manager of Penrith, a position he still has with the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs.
Their CEO has since asserted that Gould made the decision to fire Cleary, not the club.
“The club didn’t really fire him,” Fletcher said to Hughesy, Ed, and Erin on 2DAY FM.
“He was sacked by Phil Gould.”
The next season, Cleary was replaced by Anthony Griffin; however, Griffin’s four-year contract was only completed.
In 2019, Cleary was brought back to lead the Panthers, and he guided them to a 10th-place result.
The team has dominated the NRL ever since, participating in three straight grand finals and taking home two championships.
Fletcher gave a straightforward response when host Erin Molan questioned him about if firing Cleary in 2015 was the right move.
“Well, it appears so,” he remarked.
Now, when the Panthers play the Broncos in the 2023 championship game on Sunday night, they will try to complete an unprecedented three-peat.
The CEO of the club thinks they will do well because of their recent large-scale experience.
“[The organisation] is in pretty good shape at the moment — playing in four [consecutive] grand finals is something you dream of,” he stated.
The fact that we’ve been there and know what to do makes it good.
“And the only thing we’ve got to do now is win the game.”
Phil Gould dispels rumors of an Ivan Cleary rift.
Gould was said to be returning to the State of Origin coaching scene as an advisor or assistant until Brad Fittler resigned his position as NSW Blues coach on Thursday.
