How Penrith Panthers coach Ivan Cleary went from premiership pariah to coaching messiah [Video]

It speaks, perhaps, to the absurdity of rugby league and the myriad opinions and theories that circle it. Or maybe just how fast Penrith went from wannabe premiers to the most successful team of the modern era.

On the eve of the 2021 season, comparisons were drawn between Panthers coach Ivan Cleary and Brian Smith, who in more than 600 NRL games and four grand finals couldn’t land a premiership.

By comparison, Cleary had coached 342 matches and made two grand finals but hadn’t come away with the jewellery.

“I’ll keep going until I win a comp,” Cleary joked in an interview with this masthead at the time.

Now, with three premiership rings in as many years in the top drawer, some pundits are putting him up there with modern-day coaching greats like Wayne Bennett and Craig Bellamy.

From premiership pariah to messiah in three …