Ivan Cleary dismisses claims son Jett could undermine Penrith in Auckland elimination final

Penrith coach Ivan Cleary has rejected suggestions that his youngest son, Jett Cleary, could be the downfall of the four-time defending premiers when they face the New Zealand Warriors in an elimination final in Auckland on Saturday.

Jett Cleary, 20, who plays in the NSW Cup for the Warriors, spent time this week mimicking the style of his brother, Penrith captain Nathan Cleary, in opposed sessions. Ivan Cleary said there was nothing untoward about that and stressed his son would be doing his job for his club.

"He doesn't know [Penrith's plans]," Ivan Cleary said. "He shouldn't be [family first], he will be doing his job this week for his club and that's how it should be. I think it's a fun part of the week, he's got his own game to plan for. As long as he does his job for his team, that's the main thing."

The match has attracted extra noise after a Warriors-supporter Facebook page urged fans to give the Panthers a raucous reception, recommending fireworks, burnouts and even calls to "bring eggs into the game and egg the panther coach box." The Warriors have said the page has no official link to the club.

Cleary, a former Warriors player and coach, took the online activity in stride and said he expected a passionate crowd. "I've some experience with the Warriors fan base, they're a good-natured lot and very passionate," he said, adding that a noisy reception has worked in the past. "That actually happened to us a couple of years ago in 2022. We were staying in Parramatta before the prelim and Parra beat the Cowboys up in North Queensland and we were pretty much kept up all night. That one worked out."

The Warriors side will include former Panthers prop James Fisher-Harris, but Ivan Cleary played down the threat of the familiar opponent. "'Fish' is pretty simple-minded and we know exactly what we'll get, we'll have to play well. I'm not (scared of him) in the box, I'm just worried about eggs, not 'Fish'," Cleary said.

Cleary said he had left no room for sentiment as Penrith begin sudden-death finals football while attempting to extend their premiership run to five straight titles. Coach-level selection decisions reflected that stance: winger Tom Jenkins, whose return to the NRL after being cut by Newcastle has been a feel-good story of the season, was dropped in favour of Paul Alamoti.

"That (telling him he's dropped) is not a fun part of the job," Cleary said. "It's one of those things around finals time, you can't pick everyone. Tom's had an amazing year, one of the greatest stories of our season, he'll be ready when he's needed."

Penrith will also be without reliable hooker Mitch Kenny, sidelined with a hamstring injury. Luke Sommerton has been named to replace Kenny, whose defensive work has been a major factor in the club's recovery this season.

The Panthers' run to the finals has been marked by a significant turnaround. Penrith sat last on the ladder after a round-12 loss to eventual wooden-spooners Newcastle, a defeat Cleary described as a turning point. "We were just so disgusted with how it was going," he said. "We had to be real with ourselves, and the boys, to their credit, took it from there. We didn't like where we were, and there was only one way to fix it up, and that was to go and do something about it. We were probably getting sucked into a vortex of self-pity. We turned things around, got on a bit of a roll … and here we are."

The elimination final represents a single-match hurdle for the Panthers as they attempt to keep alive a dynasty that has dominated the NRL finals in recent years. Ivan Cleary said the focus remained on preparation and execution rather than off-field noise or family connections.

"We've got potentially four weeks of football ahead of us if we're good enough," he said. "There's no sentiment in those decisions; it's about winning games."

Kick-off in Auckland is scheduled for Saturday, with both sides preparing for a hostile atmosphere and the high stakes of sudden-death finals football.