Locker Room: Ivan Cleary’s farewell to son Jett will be a hard goodbye, but it’s time to step out of his brother’s shadow
If Panthers coach Ivan Cleary thought saying goodbye to Jarome Luai and James Fisher-Harris was hard, the next farewell will be the toughest of all, writes DAVID RICCIO.
Ivan Cleary has said goodbye to Jarome Luai.
He’s held James Fisher-Harris one last time and bid Sunia Turuva farewell.
They are goodbyes that the Penrith coach had been desperate to park to the side for as long as he could.
“I guess we’ve all been avoiding talking too much about this moment,” Cleary said.
With the greatest of respect to Cleary’s trio of premiership-winners, there’s a much more painful goodbye to come.
The sadness is different.
It’s less about a coach losing one of his star players, but more so, a father needing to let go of his son.
Over the next few days, 19-year-old Jett Cleary will leave the famous footballing family home, bound for the Warriors for the 2025, 2026 and 2027 seasons.
The younger brother of champion halfback Nathan, Jett is headed as far away from Penrith as the NRL competition can offer.
“We’re all a bit getting sad. Jett is the life of the party around here,” Cleary said.
“I know his mum is starting to realise that it’s getting real that he’s leaving.”
Yet amid the uneasiness is a certain familiarity and sense of hope about the move, which is both personal and strategic.
Jett was born in New Zealand when Cleary was beginning his role as an assistant coach with the Warriors, before becoming head coach in 2006.
Just as his dad did, Jett is aiming to commence his own footballing journey at the Warriors.
“It’s a little sad that he won’t be wearing the Panthers jersey,” Cleary said.
“But I’m really happy for him from life perspective, but also from a footy perspective.”
As Cleary explains, as tough as it is for Jett to leave Penrith, it’s gives him the best chance to step out of Nathan’s shadow.
It hasn’t mattered where Jett has played, through his junior footy before progressing to the Panthers SG Ball side, the Cleary’s have heard the whispers and comments from the sidelines, about their youngest boy and being compared to Nathan.
The pressure on Jett has been both unwarranted and ridiculous.
As the rest of the entire NRL can attest, there’s only one Nathan Cleary.
“Every time he steps on the field he’s Nathan’s brother,” Cleary said.
“I think it is incredibly difficult for him.
“He plays in the same (halfback) position which you know, we even tried to manipulate his positions over the years, but that’s where he’s best at, so that’s where he should play.
“And I guess the more success Nathan’s had and even our club has had, the more pressure and expectation and comparison that Jett gets, it’s not fair.
“Hopefully this will be a smoother path for him and he will be he’ll be his own man.”
The content from Jett and the Cleary’s to leave for another country is due to both their intimate knowledge of the Warriors as a franchise and the direction under coach Andrew Webster, a former assistant coach to Cleary at Penrith.
“I have absolute faith in Andrew Webster and the Warriors as an organisation and where they’re heading,” Cleary said.
“I think the club will suit him.
“To be able to step out of his brother’s shadow, to some degree, as I know they’ll always be compared, unfortunately.
“But I think it’s a good move for him and I know that’s something he’s really looking forward to.”
Jett will be given a chance to train with the NRL squad over summer while he will also be given the chance to mentored by Warriors legend Shaun Johnson, who ironically was Nathan’s idol.
With the Warriors boasting a plethora of NRL halves including Luke Metcalf, Chanel Harris-Tavita and Te Maire Martin, the youngest Cleary will aim to play NSW Cup in 2025 with the hope of one day playing in the NRL, possibly against his big brother.
Revealed: 50 NRL players fighting to keep their careers alive
The NRL’s former million-dollar man Anthony Milford headlines a list of players including ex-Origin stars, premiership-winners and former young guns whose futures remain undecided. See the full list.
Nathan on Ivan, Ivan on Nathan: Clearys open up in book extract
Ivan Cleary is not just the history-making coach at the heart of Penrith Panthers’ stunning success – he’s also the father of star player Nathan. In this exclusive extract from his new book, the pair go head-to-head on being a team, on-and-off the field.