Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.
Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
G'day and welcome to Kenny Blitch, your daily hit of NRL news. And Kenny, what a day of news it's been because this morning we found out that Ivan Cleary was calling a press conference today at 2pm and we've just watched the press conference. And in that press conference, some big announcements were made.
Yeah, look, obviously he told the Penrith Panthers that he will finish up coaching at the end of next season when his contract runs out. Panthers announced that Peter Wallace will take over as the head coach, which I think is a really positive move for the club. But it shocked everyone.
At first, when it was initially muted that there was going to be a press conference, most people thought it was an announcement for an extension of his contract.
Chapter 2: What are the latest updates on Ivan Cleary's coaching situation?
I will say, though, Wallace, there has been... Whisper's going around for probably six, eight weeks that Ivan might be moving on. I wouldn't say it was a total surprise, but that said, he also did say in the press conference that he's got no ambition to coach against the Panthers heading into the future. You believe that? No, I don't really. Look, we've got to take him at his word, I suppose.
But look, rugby league is such a fluid game as far as the way things move with coaching and players and contracts. Ivan was the guy that...
Chapter 3: What sparked the debate around Luke Metcalf's release request?
told his players to get on the bus at west tigers and uh before they were all off the bus he was off before him so uh you know to get head back to penrith and the reason he gave to head back to penrith was he wanted to coach nathan we i get that we all under understood that but it went against what he said and against against what he was trying to drive at west tigers when he was there now
There has been speculation for a couple of months now that the Roosters are looking at him. I know the Roosters get attached to everybody and they will simply fob this off as us again, so to speak. But that has been going around. I was told last week by somebody that Nathan and
Ivan will both clearly be going to the Roosters, which at the time I just said, look, I'm sick of hearing this sort of stuff, attaching people to the Roosters.
Well, they're both off Mark at the end of 27, right?
They're both off. Well, let's just start down and pick it a bit.
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Chapter 4: What are the implications of the Origin selection drama?
So I was told that, and I said, look, I don't believe it. And it was assured to me that that was the case, that the Roosters are heavy into getting Ivan and Nathan to go there for 2028. Which would mean a lot of things happening at the Roosters. Now, it would mean obviously they've got to clear up a lot of salary cap room.
Daley Cherry Evans will be gone, so we're led to believe he's only on about half a million dollars, $600,000 at the Roosters. Well, that'll go partway to affording Nathan, but not the whole way.
Chapter 5: Which NSW sides have been leaked ahead of the Origin?
What happens then with Sam Walker, we don't know. There's a lot to go on. And in many ways, it seems crazy. If you've got Sam Walker, why would you go after Nathan Cleary? Well, I would say the Roosters are probably the one club that would do that. They had Mitch Pearce, who was a New South Wales halfback.
They got rid of him to get Cooper Cronking because they thought he could get him the grand final. He did do that. So they saw the benefit of doing it that way. That's why I think they've got Daley Cherry Evans in there now. Hugo Savala there last year and that didn't stop them. It didn't stop them.
Chapter 6: How is the coaching transition at Penrith expected to unfold?
And they've got numerous young kids coming through, but they still go to the guys who get the job done. Now Nathan is that guy.
Kenny, just on that, a couple of weeks ago we were talking about what's going on at the Roosters because they were clearing the decks. Remember? They were taking a lot of money off their salary cap. A lot of people are leaving the club and they haven't signed that many more players.
Well, that's part of the conspiracy theory here, isn't it? That they're clearing money to get Nathan in. And I'd also suggest whether they get Jack Cleary in because the other part to it, I think the one thing that would bring Nathan or bring Ivan back to coaching and would win him public support is
is if the Roosters, for example, sign Nathan, who has already stated that he intends to go to market on November 1.
That's in the public, right?
He said that publicly. That's already out there. So he has said that he's prepared to go to market, which is the first time he's done that, stated that intention.
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Chapter 7: What are the key players off contract for the Panthers next season?
And many people thought it was for Papua New Guinea.
Yes, that's true. Now, so he stated that. Jack Cleary, Nathan's younger brother, Ivan's son, is currently playing State Cup in the New South Wales Cup for the Warriors. He's also off contract at the end of 2027 for the 2028 season, same as Nathan is and same as Ivan. So the three of them are all coming off contract the same year.
On top of that, you've got to say, well, okay, I think, and no one can blame Ivan for wanting to coach both his sons. We're seeing what's happening now. The Warriors, they've just resigned Tanner Boyd on a longer-term contract to play halfback, which was Jack Cleary's position. So you start to put the conspiracy theories together. It makes sense.
Chapter 8: What rumors are circulating about the Roosters' interest in Ivan Cleary?
Whether it happens or not, we don't know. It's a lot of speculation. Now, the other part is what happens to Trent Robinson. And that was a big part of my argument last week when I kept being told that that the clear he's going to go to the Roosters was that the Roosters would not get rid of Trent Robinson. There's too much respect there for him.
But there is also a bit of a suggestion that, that, that Trent Robinson is looking to head back to France to live for a little while, uh, given his wife is French and, uh, his children obviously, uh, I think he wants to give them that French experience, so to speak. So it's nothing to do with his coaching. It's a lifestyle thing.
And of all the NRL coaches, Trent Robertson is the one coach you would expect to do that because he's the guy that he literally has – climbed the base camp of, of Mount Everest and he, he goes on the Kokoda tracks and. He sees things differently. He just looks at life differently.
I remember talking to him, um, uh, one day, for example, uh, and we're just talking about books that we like and things. I said, I said, what's your favorite book? And he said, uh, man, uh, man's search for meaning, uh, Viktor Frankl, which was Viktor Frankl was the, uh, survived the, the concentration camps, World War II. Um, Which is really unusual.
Most coaches, when you talk to them about what books they read and what books they refer to. Vince Lombardi or something like that. It's Vince Lombardi. It's a former NFL coach somewhere, essentially. But that's where Robbo went. So Robbo looks at life a bit differently.
I told this story before, Kenty, but last year I saw him at a beer, having a beer. I was talking to him and I said, he had the buyer and I said, where are you going? What are you doing? Are you having a break? And he goes, I'm going to Central Australia. I said, are you going to? He goes, no, I'm going by myself.
Yeah, and basically sat alone for a week, I think. Yeah, no fun. Yeah, just went out and zoned out. So he sees things differently is the point. He does. So it's not beyond the realms is the point I'm probably trying to make. Now, look, this is all speculation, okay? But the way rugby league works, I find, look, Ivan has come out today. He said he does want to coach against the Panthers.
I get that. But I think the prospect of coaching both his sons might be enough to lure him back. That said, the Panthers are now looking for, I found it a bit unusual this, The Panthers said they're looking to put him into another role at the club. Now, they've already announced Peter Wallace as his replacement. I don't think it would have been too far a stretch to say.
And Ivan is also going to be taking over as our general manager of football or whatever role they're going to put him into. But they haven't done that. And there's been nothing essentially – written down or committed to.
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