Ivan Cleary has announced he is stepping down as head coach of Penrith at the end of next season in a move that has blindsided the NRL world.
The man who took Penrith to four straight grand final victories made the development official at a 2pm press conference on Wednesday, where it was also announced that current assistant Peter Wallace will take over his role.
Cleary is contracted to Penrith until the end of the 2027 season – as is his son, champion halfback Nathan.
Both will be at the top of clubs’ recruitment hit lists if the No.7 decides to test the open market.
The 55-year-old has stamped himself as one of the most successful coaches of footy’s modern era as he led the Panthers to titles in 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024, in addition to winning the minor premiership in 2020, 2022 and 2023.
Penrith have won 138 of the 188 matches they’ve played with Ivan in charge as they completely dominated the game since the Covid pandemic.
Ivan Cleary (pictured with wife Rebecca) is stepping down as Penrith head coach after the 2027 season
The 55-year-old turned the Panthers into one of the greatest rugby league teams ever seen as he led them to four straight grand final wins
Ivan Cleary stepping down will see him leave the club at the end of 2027, when his champion halfback son Nathan (pictured with his dad and family after the 2023 grand final) is off contract
‘It’s a decision I haven’t taken lightly and [have] thought about for a long time,’ Cleary said at the Panthers press conference.
‘I feel like it’s definitely the right thing for me, my family and the club.
‘Part of being a coach and a leader is you kind of gain an intuition over many years, and I feel really strongly that this is the right time for me to step aside.
‘What am I going to do? It’s more like a lifestyle than a job so I’m definitely looking to branch out and use my skills and knowledge in other areas … free up a bit more flexibility in terms of lifestyle for my wife and myself.
‘The Panthers can’t get rid of me … I’ve been offered a position to stay on in an advisory role through leadership and culture.’
The two-time Dally M coach of the year added that Nathan has known about his plans ‘for a while’ and that his wife Rebecca asked ‘Are you sure?’ when he told her.
He also said he is not interested in another first-grade coaching job once his current deal with Penrith expires.
Cleary first coached the New Zealand Warriors from 2006 to 2011, taking the club to their second grand final appearance.
Ivan Cleary (pictured with Nathan after the 2024 grand final) has previously expressed interest in coaching a representative team
Cleary (pictured announcing his future plans on Wednesday) has stamped himself as the greatest coach of the game’s modern era
He switched to Penrith in 2012 and had mixed success in his first stint leading the team before being unceremoniously dumped by then-general manager Phil Gould.
A stint with the Wests Tigers didn’t last long as Cleary led them for just 43 games, winning 18, before making a head-turning return to the Panthers for the 2018 season.
Cleary dropped hints about a possible job switch last year.
While saying he would ‘never say never’ to coaching the NRL’s new Papua New Guinea Chiefs team, he also admitted he was intrigued by the possibility of taking charge of a representative side.
‘I have thought about it a bit more lately, I don’t know why,’ Cleary told the Sydney Morning Herald.
‘It’s starting to intrigue me a little bit more.
‘Just the whole thing where you don’t have a lot of time [to prepare] and so that’s something I haven’t really done much of.
‘I was assistant coach of the Kiwis in a World Cup, I really enjoyed that as well. One of the things I really liked about it was working with guys from other teams and just trying to get a team together quickly.’
The expected bombshell comes as a host of the stars who drove Penrith to that stellar grand final run are also coming off contract at the end of next year.
In addition to Nathan, stars Isaah Yeo, Liam Martin, Brian To’o and Moses Leota are also due to become free agents.
Ivan Cleary has previously been connected to stepping into a coaching director role once his time as a head coach came to an end.
Before turning to coaching, Cleary was one of the NRL’s top backs during his time with Manly, North Sydney, the Roosters and Warriors from 1992 to 2002.
He played a total of 186 NRL matches, scoring 64 tries and slotting 553 goals to stamp himself as one of the league’s top points-scorers.
