HE was at the helm when the Penrith Panthers first brought a taste of the NRL to Bathurst in 2014 and come next March, Ivan Cleary will once again be plotting success at Carrington Park.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
It was confirmed last week that Cleary, the man who guided the Panthers from 2012-15, will return to the club following a coaching stint with the Wests Tigers.
He is one of only a small number of changes the Panthers have made since falling to the North Queensland Cowboys at Carrington Park in May.
Peter Wallace has since retired, Tyrone Peachey will play for the Titans in 2018, while Malakai Watene-Zelezniak and Tim Grant return after playing with the Tigers this season.
The last time Cleary watched on from the stands at Carrington Park was in March 2015 when he saw his Panthers thump the Gold Coast Titans 40-0.
But that was not his first visit to the Bathurst venue.
In 2013 he guided Penrith in a pre-season trial against West Tigers, a match in which the Panthers scored in the final minute to secure a 34-32.
READ ALSO: Cleary gives Carrington Park the thumbs up
Cleary was also at the helm of Panthers when they played the first of their now annual NRL fixtures at Carrington Park in 2014. Cronulla won that game 18-16.
When Cleary returns to Carrington Park next year to guide Penrith against NRL heavyweights Melbourne Storm, he will have plenty of talent to draw on.
The likes of his son Nathan, Orange product James Maloney, Josh Mansour and Kiwi skipper Dalin Watene-Zelezniak have all been named on the 2019 roster.
Keep up to date with the latest sports news by clicking here
