‘Eggs not Fish’ shape as Penrith coach’s big concern
George Clarke |
Penrith coach Ivan Cleary is worrying about eggs not “Fish” as the Panthers look to block out a hostile welcome to Auckland and keep their premiership dynasty alive.
Penrith’s glory-laden run will go on the line in Saturday’s elimination final against a Warriors side containing former Panthers prop James Fisher-Harris.
And it’s not just the intimidating front-rower the Panthers have to concern themselves with in New Zealand.
“‘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.
A post on a Warriors supporter Facebook page in recent days urged the Kiwi club’s fans to give the Panthers a raucous reception and put the four-time defending premiers off their game.
“Fireworks, burnouts and screaming outside the hotel is highly recommended,” the post read, before calling for Warriors supporters to “bring eggs into the game and egg the panther (sic) coach box”.
The Warriors have been keen to stress the page has no official link to the club.
But Cleary, a former Warriors player and coach, took it in good jest.
“I’ve some experience with the Warriors fan base, they’re a good-natured lot and very passionate,” Cleary said.
“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.”
As his side go in pursuit of a fifth straight premiership with potentially four weeks of sudden-death football, Cleary has left no room for sentiment.
Winger Tom Jenkins, whose return to the NRL after being cut by Newcastle has been one of the feel-good stories of the 2025 season, has been dropped for 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 dependable hooker Mitch Kenny, who has been sidelined with a hamstring injury and will be replaced by Luke Sommerton.
Kenny’s bone-rattling defence has been a big factor in Penrith completing a remarkable turnaround from the start of the season to keep alive their dream of a fifth straight premiership.
Penrith were last on the ladder after a round-12 defeat to eventual wooden spooners Newcastle, a loss Cleary pinpoints as a turning point in the Panthers’ rise up the ladder to finish the regular season in seventh.
“We were just so disgusted with how it was going,” Cleary 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.”
AAP
