Penrith manager Ivan Cleary has revealed helium woke astatine 2am yesterday, disquieted by the imaginable his injury-riddled side would beryllium decimated successful the opening stages of the NRL expansive final.
The Panthers mentor has yet tasted premiership success, aft a vocation that spanned 186 games arsenic a subordinate and a further 369 arsenic a coach.
This was his 4th NRL expansive last - helium played fullback for the Warriors successful their 2002 defeat, earlier coaching the nine to the 2011 decider, arsenic good arsenic Penrith's nonaccomplishment past twelvemonth to Melbourne.
"I couldn't carnivore reasoning astir losing, since I was a fan, a player, an adjunct coach, a coach, it's astir apt 45 years ne'er winning a expansive final," Cleary said.
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"I'm going to marque this 1 last, I tin archer you!"
Four Panthers players - Dylan Edwards, Nathan Cleary, Brian To'o and James Fisher-Harris took injuries into the match.
It meant the squad hadn't trained decently since the finals began, having had to advancement to the decider the hard mode aft losing to Souths successful the opening week.
"I conscionable can't rap the boys enough. The courageousness that these boys person shown, we truly couldn't bid the past 3 weeks arsenic a team, truthful galore guys not grooming ... I deliberation it's purely connected courageousness that these boys person won this," helium said.
"I reckon determination was astatine slightest 5 that astir apt shouldn't person been playing today. I don't accidental that lightly. It was a calculated hazard connected a batch of boys.
"I really woke up astatine 2am this greeting and I couldn't get backmost to slumber due to the fact that I was thinking, 'My god, honestly 3 oregon 4 of them could beryllium gone by 10 minutes [into the expansive final].'
"But it was calculated and they conscionable refused not to play. Fish [James Fisher-Harris], Moses [Leota], Dyl Edwards.
"Dyl Edwards, ohio my god, he's had a breached ft for similar a month. He has not trained, walked astir connected crutches each week and past goes retired and plays. I don't recognize however that tin hap but it conscionable sums up the bond.
"We've had a batch of guys play injured passim the season, Bizza [Brian To'o] successful peculiar played doubly with a syndesmosis wounded and ne'er came off. I retrieve Tyrone May doing his MCL severely doubly and kept playing.
"They conscionable created this civilization of unluckily nary 1 wanted to beryllium the 1 to enactment their manus up and accidental they can't play. It's hard for maine to explain, it's incredible."
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