By Lee Reilly
Penrith premiership coach Ivan Cleary admitted winning a fourth straight title still felt “surreal” at the launch of Not Everything Counts but Everything Matters last week at Penrith Leagues Club.
Cleary co-wrote the book with respected rugby league journalist Andrew Webster, who was on hand to talk about their collaboration, and said he was concerned about the fallout that would have ensued if they hadn’t lifted the trophy.
“I was conscious and a bit hesitant at first,” said Cleary. “I didn’t want it to be a distraction.
“I didn’t want it to be seen that if we didn’t have the same success this year that I had my eye off the ball.”
Being so raw and candid and opening himself up like he never has before was something that doesn’t come easy for someone who is quite an introvert, despite having been in the game as a player and coach for over 30 years, but he realised as a role model the book could have a greater effect.
“It wasn’t easy, I still feel a little bit uncomfortable about certain things in there (the book),” he said. “I don’t like talking about myself, I don’t like attention. One of the reasons we did this book is I thought it could help people. Part of my job as a leader as well is to show the way, particularly our young guys.
“We took it on because I though reflecting back across my career, talking about stories, even like the 2023 Grand Final, would actually help me in my day-to-day this year and I think it actually did.”
Legacy was the team’s theme in 2024 after Mount Everest in 2021, Top Gun in 2022 and Undisputed in 2023.
“We come up with a theme when our spot in the finals is solidified,” he said. “Just a little extra bit of motivation, just something to galvanise our whole season to look forward too.
“It gets harder each year to come up with one so this year it was legacy. It was almost more than premierships, more than rings.
“It was about personal legacy and the team’s legacy. Particular with some key guys leaving [I] thought it was good for those guys to leave and pass the baton on to someone else. So that’s what it was.”
When Cleary returned for his second stint as the foot of the mountains in 2019, he knew hard work was needed if they were going to reach Everest and revealed he and son Nathan were struggling in their roles as coach and halfback.
“The first season back we were going backwards and that was not what I was brought back here for. I wasn’t at my best, Nathan wasn’t at his best in particular.”
The Sydneysider, who had grown up on the Northern Beaches, made the big call to uproot the family and make Penrith home. It was a chat with a former Roosters teammate that helped Cleary make the leap.
“I remember Brad Fittler said to me: ‘Honestly, you’ll never regret it. All my best mates and people
I trust the most are from my time out at Penrith.’ That always stuck with me.”
It wasn’t just the team that wasn’t buying into the Panther culture, fans weren’t getting on board Cleary’s new bus.
“You just didn’t see a lot of Panthers fans around. There wasn’t a lot of huge crowds,” Cleary said. “We weren’t playing so well. The people from Penrith and the greater region probably didn’t think it was going to happen.”
To most in the rugby league community, seeing the Pink Panther away jersey probably doesn’t register on their radar, but to the coach it is at the heart of the Penrith DNA and the significance is never lost on the 53-year-old.
“I remember when I first started we used to wear this white jersey as our away strip and I remember watching us one day thinking we could be anybody. Black shorts, white jersey.
“I remember when the Women in League round (2009) first started the Panthers had a shock pink. It was so bright and I thought it was pretty cool. We did it better than anyone. Instead of white why don’t we wear pink?”
The pink jersey regular sells out and even the supercoach can’t track one down.
“I don’t know the numbers (sales) but I know that I tried to get one (pink jersey) for a friend about a month ago and they were all gone.”
Featured image: Panthers coach Ivan Cleary shows off his autobiography at the signing table. Photo: Lee Reilly