LeagueNews.co | Cooper McEnroe
Ivan Cleary, a renowned strategist in NRL history, is celebrated for his four premierships. His approach to coaching is often unconventional, as demonstrated by his tactics in the recent game against the Bulldogs.
During the match on Thursday night, Cleary made the bold decision to rest 16 of the Penrith Panthers' key players. When asked if he would employ a similar strategy in the following week, he responded mysteriously, saying, "Yeah, we've got a plan. So we will just see how it goes," while smiling during the post-match press conference.
Next week, the Panthers are set to face the St George Illawarra Dragons, a game where many anticipate the return of the stars. Nevertheless, Cleary expressed satisfaction with the performance of the younger players. "I thought the boys did really well, I sort of threw them in the deep end really. They were coming off a five-day turnaround most of those boys," he noted.
He added, "Yeah, I didn't think a lot went the way either. Particularly that period where we lost Zac (Lipowicz)... I thought we handled that really well."
