Four-time premiership winner Ivan Cleary has told confidantes he will not coach the PNG Chiefs – which is all but certain to end the new NRL franchise’s hopes of also signing his son, star halfback Nathan Cleary.
The Chiefs, who are due to enter the competition in 2028, have made appointing a head coach a top priority. Officials have sounded out Cleary to gauge his interest, but they can now officially scrap him from their short-list of candidates.
Cleary is off contract at the Panthers at the end of 2027, and while he remains unsure about his next move – and whether he will coach on at all – sources with knowledge of the situation not authorised to speak publicly confirmed the 54-year-old had no appetite to head up the Chiefs.
Hull KR’s Willie Peters and PNG national coach Jason Demetriou have both declaredan interest in the Chiefs role, but Cleary has always viewed as the preferred candidate by some top-ranking officials at the Chiefs and within the NRL.
The Chiefs have reportedly made it their mission to sign the Clearys on a lucrative dream-team package deal. Tax concessions and the fresh challenge of chasing success with a start-up franchise were two selling points no other club could offer the famous father and son.
Peters and Demetriou remain in the mix, along with Adrian Lam. Wayne Bennett was another coach on the Chiefs’ wish list, but the veteran is about to sign an extension of at least one year on his South Sydney contract which will take him through to the end of 2028.
Panthers coach Ivan Cleary will not be joining the PNG Chiefs.Credit: Getty Images
The Clearys extended their Penrith deals last April, more than 18 months before they became free agents. The Panthers have already begun ‘Operation Keep Clearys’ to convince the pair to commit to long-term deals.
Ivan’s decision to rebuff the Chiefs’ advances, however, does not necessarily mean Nathan is off limits. But knowing his father is no longer in the frame for the PNG role will no doubt play a role in Nathan’s next move.
Nathan told this masthead earlier this month he was in no hurry to make a call on his future, and said it would be silly to remove anything off the negotiating table, including an unlikely switch to rugby.
“At the end of the day, I love where I’m at right now; to me, I haven’t really thought too much about my future because I still have two years to run on my contract,” Cleary told this masthead.
“I understand people will start to talk about it, but it’s not in my mind at all – it still seems so far away.”
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