Before Penrith Panthers coach Ivan Cleary etched his name in rugby league folklore he was on the scrapheap as a coach and fighting to resurrect his career with perennial battlers Wests Tigers.
Now, at the end of season awards following the historic three-peat of grand final wins, Cleary has opened up on his return to the Panthers in an hilarious 20-minute speech that had the audience in stitches.
Cleary coached the Panthers in his first stint from 2012-2015 before being sacked by Phil Gould and the board, released into the rugby league wilderness.
He was eventually picked up by the Tigers where he famously demanded players ‘get on the bus’ and took them to the edge of the NRL finals in 2018.
However Cleary has now revealed that he was plotting his own exit even as he demanded players buy in at the battling Tigers.
