Penrith coach Ivan Cleary has made the stunning admission that there’s a question mark around his side’s desire to win a fourth straight NRL title.
In what could be considered a public challenge to his team, Cleary declared his side could still win the Premiership but admitted they weren’t playing as well as he’d like at a crucial stage of the season.
“You end up where you deserve and that’s what will happen,” he said on Monday.
“I totally believe we can win it but we have to make a decision on whether we’re prepared to pay that price to win it.
“At the moment there is probably a question mark around that.”
The Panthers have slipped out of the top two for the first time in five years just two weeks out from the Finals, and the possibility of a home Final at BlueBet Stadium is slipping away.
“It’s not so much about where we’re at now, it’s about what happens in two weeks time,” he said.
“We’ve actually had a strong year in many different ways but right now we’re not playing as well as we’d like and we’re not playing as well as we need to.”
Cleary said he was disappointed in last week’s loss to Canberra in the nation’s capital, which followed defeat the hands of Melbourne the week prior.
“We didn’t play anywhere near our best and were probably out-willed by the opposition,” he said.
“I know we’ve got enough of a body of work behind us this season to be able to challenge… but it’s fair to question whether we’re prepared to pay that price.
“It’s not easy if you want to go the whole way and you’ve got to pay a pretty hefty price along the way.
“There’s a question that needs to be answered but knowing our boys, I’m sure they will answer it in a positive way.”
Penrith play South Sydney at BlueBet Stadium on Friday.
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.