PENRITH is facing a full-scale player revolt over the snubbing of caretaker coach Steve Georgallis.
The club's most experienced players - Petero Civoniceva and Luke Lewis - are furious Georgallis was not even offered an interview and the opportunity to put his case.
And the other players feel the same way too.
Civoniceva was so upset when he heard of Ivan Cleary's appointment that he spent half the day from Queensland's camp on the Sunshine Coast ringing most of his Penrith teammates to discuss the decision.
I'm told he also let Gould know in no uncertain terms what he thought about the decision. Petero is as honest and as decent as any player in the NRL. He was of the understanding - and so were the players - that the popular Georgallis would be given at least a few weeks to press his claims for the job next year.
"It was very unlike Petero to get on the phone to discuss an internal issue," said one of the Panthers players before Saturday night's game against the Bulldogs
"He's genuinely upset for the coach and thought he deserved more of an opportunity. We all did. Yet none of us were consulted.
"Normally Petero would wait until after the Origin if there was an issue to discuss it face to face with the players - but he's really upset."
No sooner than the stand-in coach won his first game against the Johnathan Thurston's high-flying Cowboys he was told he's being overlooked for next year.
Luke Lewis has been telling his NSW teammates that he feels Georgallis has been dudded. He knows it's Phil Gould's right to choose whoever he wants as head coach but insists Georgallis has been misled from the original statements that were made when former coach Matt Elliot was sacked.
The Panthers showed on Saturday night the outstanding type of football they can produce under Georgallis. Even without Lewis and Civoniceva, they were never going to lose against a Bulldogs side that had much to play for but offered nothing.
It was a performance that showed Gould could finish up highly embarrassed if the Panthers make the top eight and give the competition a shake with a man in charge who he didn't want there.
"We'll be playing for Steve Georgallis for the rest of the year," one player said.
Gould would not return my text messages yesterday.
If Georgallis was the talk of the Penrith dressing rooms, next door in the Canterbury shed the pressure was mounting on Kevin Moore.
He has to make the top four to be assured of retaining his job next year but on Saturday night's performance they will finish closer to the bottom four.
Board members Paul Dunn and Barry Ward still support Moore, Another director Anthony Elias is undecided. The rest are looking for change.
It's incredible that Moore was Dally M coach-of-the-year in 2009 when he lifted the club to one win from the grand final. You can't go from being a great coach to a poor one in the space of only 18 months but time is running out for him at Belmore.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...oked-for-top-job/story-e6frexnr-1226086727571
