Ivan Cleary’s telling hint at NRL exit after candid family revelation over coach rol
It may come as some small consolation for Penrith’s NRL rivals, but supercoach Ivan Cleary has no plans to keep chasing titles beyond his next milestone birthday. Fresh off guiding the Panthers to a fourth straight premiership – the first club in 58 years to do so – Cleary hinted he may be ready to walk away from the job once his current contract expires in 2027.
Now 53, the Penrith mentor has previously spoken about the mental and physical toll coaching takes on the individual and family members. As it stands, he has no intention of emulating the likes of Des Hasler (63), Craig Bellamy (65) and Wayne Bennett (74) in coaching past his 60th birthday.
“I’m not going to be coaching when I’m Wayne Bennett’s age – I’ll be lucky if I’m alive by that point,” Cleary laughed when asked about his long-term future on the Straight Talk with Mark Bouris podcast. “I’m contracted for another three years and that’s good enough for me at the moment.
“I just can’t see myself being one of those guys that’s in his 60s or 70s still going through this roller-coaster. I want to be sitting back and having a beer in the stand.”
Cleary detailed the emotional drain coaching has on him and those around him, while admitting the challenge of winning football matches was “addictive”. “It’s a lifestyle. It’s more than a job. You live it,” he continued.
“From week to week, depending on how the game goes, it can dictate how your life’s going. It’s not just you. It’s your family, it’s your wife, your kids.
“But that’s what you put your hand up for and that’s the addictive part of it as well. Every time you have a loss or you’re not going well, as a coach you always think there’s something good around the next corner.”
Penrith boss moves to lock down Nathan and Ivan Cleary
The Panthers have secured their immediate future by locking in Ivan and his son – superstar halfback Nathan Cleary – for at least three more seasons. And they’ve indicated they are more than willing to discuss a new deal to keep the Clearys at Penrith beyond their current contracts.
