Anthony Griffin will speak about his dramatic exit from the Penrith Panthers tomorrow night.
Griffin will appear on Fox League’s ‘NRL 360’ where he will speak publicly for the first time since leaving the club yesterday.
Meanwhile, the Wests Tigers have declared Ivan Cleary is going nowhere as speculation mounts that he’s heading back to Penrith on a four-year deal to replace Griffin.
Tigers CEO Justin Pascoe has declared the club will not release Cleary if he requests to leave.
“So Ivan Cleary came to me late yesterday [Monday] afternoon and informed me in a discussion that he had been approached by Penrith — that they were keen to get him to go out there and coach,” Pascoe said.
“We had a really open and frank discussion around that. Since then, we met with Ivan this morning and we were very adamant in that meeting that there is really no option other than to continue on as Head Coach of the Wests Tigers.
“Certainly, we engaged in a contract nearly 18 months ago now under good faith and we expect that contract uploads and continues on.”
Pascoe said the Tigers would not be “bullied” or “railroaded” into releasing Cleary.
“This club, and myself, have to make decisions that are in the best interests of the Wests Tigers and, first and foremost, our fans, our Members and our stakeholders. Giving our Head Coach to a rival club is not a decision that is in the best interest of the fans or stakeholders,” he said.
During an interview with Fox League, Pascoe claimed that he was sacked by the Panthers before joining the Tigers. But in 2015, it was claimed he resigned from the position to join the Tigers.
Troy Dodds
Troy Dodds is the Weekender's Managing Editor and Breaking News Reporter. He has more than 20 years experience as a journalist, working with some of Australia's leading media organisations. In 2023, he was named Editor of the Year at the Mumbrella Publish Awards.