Penrith ready to sacrifice Matt Moylan for NRL finals to bring him back into the heart of the club
MATT Moylan’s unhappiness is a problem Penrith is desperately trying to keep private. And it’s not personal — it’s football. Live blog with PAUL KENT from 1pm.
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MATT Moylan has concerned the Panthers for some time.
Earlier this year he returned from Origin camp and Phil Gould asked him what he had learned.
It was a simple question in most cases, although Gould works a little differently from most cases.
Moylan’s answer still surprised Gould.
He discovered Moylan was being underpaid, according to the player. This is what they learn in Origin, Gould thought.
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Rep camps are melting pots for players. Some years back the Kangaroos were in England and a Melbourne player, Robbie Kearns, re-signed with the Storm and went to the bar to celebrate.
A few Broncos were there to share his luck and Kearns was so happy he spruiked a few numbers.
At that, one of the Broncos grabbed at his chest before turning and walking straight to his room to call, on the team bill, Wayne Bennett in Australia.
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He was getting underpaid, he bellowed, then wondered what the coach might do about it.
So Gould, now Penrith’s general manager of football, would not have been completely surprised. Players were doing it when he coached the Blues in the early 1990s and giving their clubs all sorts of headaches afterwards.
Yet the Panthers’ problem is larger.
Moylan’s unhappiness is not confined to feeling the club got the better of him in contract negotiations, which is not due to expire until the end of 2021.
They are as much to do with a small fallout with coach Anthony Griffin. It is a problem the club is desperately trying to keep private.
It began last year, not with any one particular incident but with several that rolled into each other.
Griffin replaced Peter Wallace as captain with Moylan.
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The usual rhetoric for why went out, that Moylan was the future of the club and all that. It caused ripples within. Wallace is highly admired by his teammates and they felt for him.
They partially suspected that Wallace was sacked by Griffin — who also sacked him from Brisbane — because he would struggle to stay in the side at halfback.
Wallace has since provided a happy conclusion, reinventing himself as a dummy-half.
Then Griffin lost Moylan. In round 14 last year, Penrith trailed Manly 24-4 at halftime and Griffin challenged his captain in the sheds.
It was some bake, they say, and Moylan was said to be highly embarrassed by it before Penrith came back to win 31-24.
Moylan visibly changed around the place after that.
He became tardy at training. He would return late from promotions, dip out of tough sessions for toilet breaks.
Recently when in rehab for his torn hamstring, Moylan shouted himself to a night out and broke the golden rule — that you don’t mix alcohol with soft tissue injuries.
Moylan, the captain, was becoming a problem for the club.
Gould knew enough to be concerned and also knew this for certain: the Panthers do not see themselves as a version of the Gold Coast Titans and will not side with a player ahead of the coach.
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The fracture between the coach and his team, slight but true, seemed to concern Gould enough to cause him to pick up the tools last week.
Gould took over training at the Panthers. He called in Penrith’s spine — Dean Whare, Tyrone May, Nathan Cleary and Peter Wallace — and issued new instructions.
“This is how we are going to play,” he said.
The players immediately liked the new game plan.
The problem was, they were the only players in the meeting and there was just one more ballwork session before they took on Manly last Saturday.
In the same week, Moylan headed in to a meeting with Gould and Griffin.
Moylan thought the meeting ended amicably, with enough give for each side to move on. The following day, Moylan read about it in the press. What sort of joint is this, he wondered.
Penrith chief executive Brian Fletcher also said Moylan was a “50-50 chance” to stay at the club.
Gould’s press conference on Monday, after speculation lit up over the weekend, was a masterclass in small crisis management.
“When we got around and spoke to everybody there were just little things that, piled together, led us to believe we needed to get to the bottom of this for his own wellbeing,” he said.
“Behavioural, attitude, nothing major. But when you put it together we just decided it was best to get some professional help for him and he’s keen to do that and sort through it.
“Hopefully he bounces back and he’s back in a few weeks.
“Through the discussions this morning he’s probably been under the surface bubbling away for quite some time and it’s just frustration at the moment and he’s just having a little trouble dealing with life as a professional footballer and we want to get that back on track for him.
“I just want him to sort through these issues, get away from football, and reflect on why he’s a professional footballer and what goes with that.
“He was quite receptive to all that. In fact, at the end he was probably quite relieved.”
Gould said everything while saying nothing. Everybody left satisfied ... feel free to fill in the blanks.
They might be personal issues, but this is a football matter, nothing more.
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- Apr 29, 2013
- Panthers debut
Moylan debuts against Parramatta in a 44-12 win on Monday night football. The 22-year old is one of the best players on the field in the thumping win.
- Mar 22, 2014
- Making his mark
In the first of several match-winning performances that season, Moylan kicks a sideline conversion in the shadows of the final siren to beat Canterbury 18-16.
- May 4, 2014
- Moving up
The Panthers fullback makes his representative debut at fullback for City in their 26-all draw with Country.
- Jul 14, 2014
- Star power
Moylan nails a clutch field goal in the final minute to secure a 35-34 win over Brisbane in one of the games of the season.
- Aug 18, 2014
- Consistency is key
In his third match-winning play of the season, Moylan kicks the winning field goal in a 23-22 victory against North Queensland.
- Sep 13, 2014
- Finishing on a high
At the end of his second season in first grade, Moylan plays in his first finals match, a pulsating 19-18 win over the Roosters. Penrith go down in the preliminary final 18-12 to Canterbury. Moylan is named in the Four Nations squad, but does not play a match.
- Jan 27, 2016
- Moylan the skipper
Moylan is appointed Panthers captain.
- Jun 1, 2016
- Origin call-up
After an injury plagued season in 2015 Moylan roars back to life and earns his Origin debut at fullback in the Blues 6-4 loss to Queensland.
- Jul 13, 2016
- Getting it done
Moylan plays his third Origin match, which doubles as his first senior game at five-eighth. The Blues win 18-14 courtesy of a last-second try to Michael Jennings.
- Sep 11, 2016
- Finals footy
Penrith defeat Canterbury 28-12 in the first week of the finals with Moylan playing a starring role. The Panthers season is ended the next week via a 22-12 loss to Canberra.
- Sep 22, 2016
- Panthers loyalty
Moylan signs a four-year contract extension with Penrith that will keep him at the club until the end of 2021.
- Oct 28, 2016
- Kangaroo debut
Moylan makes his Test debut in a 54-12 win over Scotland as part of the Four Nations.
- Apr 4, 2017
- Tough times
After breaching a team curfew following a loss to Melbourne, Moylan, Waqa Blake and Peta Hiku are all dropped to reserve grade. Moylan does not lose the captaincy.
- Jun 4, 2017
- New life
After Penrith’s rough start to the season Moylan plays five-eighth for the club for the first time, playing a starring role in the club’s 38-0 thrashing of Canterbury.
- Aug 20, 2017
- Injury strikes
Moylan plays his final game of the season, a 26-22 win over Canberra that all but secured Penrith’s spot in the finals.
- Sep 4, 2017
- Future uncertain
The club announces Moylan will not play again this season as his future at Penrith becomes clouded.
Originally published as Penrith ready to sacrifice Matt Moylan for NRL finals to bring him back into the heart of the club
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