Monday Buzz: Pressure building on Penrith’s Cleary combination

The head coach and the chief playmaker were always going to be the big story at the foot of the mountains in 2019 whether the team was successful or not, writes Phil Rothfield.

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The pressure is building on rugby league’s father and son combination of Ivan and Nathan Cleary at the struggling Penrith Panthers.

The head coach and the chief playmaker were always going to be the big story at the foot of the mountains in 2019 whether the team was successful or not.

Ivan is the highest paid coach in the club’s history, a controversial appointment after what many deemed the unfair sacking of Anthony Griffin last year.

Nathan is the highest paid player. He’s on $5 million.

If they win it’s a beautiful story, if they lose they cop the blame.

Fans of beaten sides always blame either the coach or the halfback. This time it’s both of them.

Coach Ivan Cleary speaks to son Nathan Cleary during a Panthers training session. Picture: Brett Costello

The Blues State of Origin halfback struggled against Melbourne Storm in Bathurst on Saturday night and hasn’t been anywhere near his best in three games this year.

After the game on Saturday night the coach described their performance as “awful and inept”.

Never has there been a more accurate description of a team’s game.

It’s obvious this Penrith side is lacking direction.

In fairness veteran five-eighth James Maloney has to take some responsibility because he’s taking more first passes from the dummy-half than Cleary.

But he’s not the coach’s son, so he’s not under the same spotlight.

There was always going to be extra pressure for the coach when he quit the Wests Tigers to take up the Penrith deal.

The Panthers are off to a slow start in 2019. Picture: AAP

This year the Panthers have scored only five tries in three games against the Eels, Knights and Storm.

The attack is clunky. It’s missing creativity.

They are lacking go forward with the likes of Reagan Campbell-Gillard struggling big time.

Not one of their forwards made 100 metres on Saturday night yet they had 58 per cent of the football.

Still it comes back to the halfback. Not just because he’s wearing number seven but in that dad is the coach and he’s the highest paid player.

That’s pressure that no other player or coach has to deal with each week because everyone is watching the Clearys so intensely.

Interestingly, this is normally a situation where the general manager Phil Gould would step in to help out. They would be crazy not to use his experience and expertise.

Because right now father and son are struggling and under enormous pressure.