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‘A lack of integrity’: Mortimer slams Cleary for possible Penrith return

In April 2017, Ivan Cleary signed a three-year deal with the Wests Tigers.

Key points:

  • Penrith reportedly offered Ivan Cleary lucrative four-year deal
  • Wests Tigers insist they have not received word from Cleary he intends to leave, plan to keep their coach
  • A deal would see Cleary return to club he was sacked from three seasons ago

At the time it was touted as a contract that would stabilise a club that had been through its fair share of off-field drama.

"The buck stops with me," declared the then 46-year-old, who had been unceremoniously sacked by the Panthers less than two years prior.

Tigers Chair Marina Go was equally enthused.

"Throughout this process, Ivan was incredibly impressive with his vision for this club and where it can go both on and off the field," said Go.

But rugby league is a funny game.

Ivan Cleary

Just over one year on, the Tigers have been rocked by a hostile approach from Cleary's former club to entice their club's main man back to the foot of the mountains in far western Sydney.

It started with the sacking of Anthony Griffin as Penrith coach on Monday.

"This is happening all the time now," says rugby league legend Steve Mortimer.

"It doesn't look good for the integrity of rugby league or the NRL when a coach or a player just tears up their contract and moves onto another one."

Steve Mortimer_730_0.jpg

Cleary has reportedly been offered a four-year deal to move to Penrith and get the opportunity to coach his son Nathan, who made his Origin debut for New South Wales this year.

Nathan is one of the game's rising stars and by locking in the pair, the cashed-up Panthers would be securing a whole lot of talent in one clever swoop.

The Wests Tigers will have a board meeting on Wednesday night, where they will discuss the club's approach to the Cleary dilemma with four weeks to go this season.

CEO Justin Pascoe has already declared the club won't be bullied.

Nathan Cleary pumps his fist after kicking the winning field goal against Canberra.

Former Wests Tigers player and Fox Sports commentator Braith Anasta told Sky Sports Radio on Wednesday he believes Cleary might have already agreed to some terms with the Panthers.

External Link: Wests Tigers response to Ivan Cleary talk: tweet

"This deal might already be done," Anasta said.

"The money would be lucrative. Penrith is a successful club with close to the best facilities in the NRL Premiership.

Add to that the dollars that Ivan will be thrown, I get a feeling he will go.

"I feel terribly for the Tigers,"

Mortimer, a one club player for 13 years with the Bulldogs, has sympathy for the Tigers given the current set of circumstances.

"It shows a lack of integrity by signing something for two, three years or whatever it might be and now they want to go," he says.

"If this keeps on going on, we are going to lose a lot of people who love the game of rugby league."

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