Panthers deny Elliott sacking
By Brent Read
September 06, 2008
A DAY after Matthew Elliott said he would happily coach Penrith for a decade, Panthers officials were forced to deny the club was ready to sack him.
Elliott's position has been the subject of speculation for weeks but it reached fever pitch on Friday night when Channel Nine interrupted its football coverage to suggest he could be replaced by Melbourne assistant Stephen Kearney.
Penrith chief executive Mick Leary, who has grown weary of discussing the situation, denied the allegations.
"I have no idea where the rumour and innuendo has come from," Leary said.
"There is no basis to it."
Melbourne officials also said they had no knowledge of any plans by Kearney to leave the club. Privately, they believe he could remain with the Storm until his tenure as national coach of New Zealand comes to an end in two years.
Elliott was also unaware of any suggestion he would be sacked.
Conjecture over his future has coincided with an alarming slump at the Panthers. They have won only once in the past five weeks and have dropped out of finals contention.
Against that backdrop, Elliott has dealt with rumours he would be replaced by an assortment of coaches, including St Helens' Daniel Anderson, Penrith under-20s coach Steve Georgallis, St George Illawarra's Nathan Brown and Kearney.
As if that wasn't distracting enough, he has also had to confront speculation over the future of star Frank Pritchard, who has been linked with a switch to Europe despite being tied to a long-term deal.
Elliott is ready to dig in his heels. While he is aware coaches are judged on results, he believes there are other factors at play.
"My intention is to be here for another 10 (years)," Elliott said. "I'm here to do a job. The club has been very understanding and supportive. I'm not saying that because that's the party line - they have been. They're disappointed.
"There's a lot of passionate people involved with rugby league and Penrith is no exception. The disappointment there is acute.
"I don't expect people to come and hold my hand and tell me it's OK because it's not OK.
"The truth is the team is playing poorly and my job is the exact opposite - to get the team playing to its best."
As for the speculation, Elliott accepts it's part of the job. What he doesn't accept is the impact it has on his family.
"'I know this is a tough period," he said.
"It's the gig I signed up for. All right, this one has turned out to be a tougher gig than I first anticipated no doubt about that. If it was easy, as a good mate of mine told me, a journalist could do it."
Asked what was to blame for the results of the past month, Elliott made it clear internal issues had played a part.
While refusing to go into details, the former Canberra coach has made significant personnel changes during his two years at the club, encouraging players such as Tony Puletua and Luke Priddis to explore their options elsewhere.
Both will play their final games for the club tonight when Penrith meets Manly, which could determine whether the Sea Eagles finish with the minor premiership.
As for the on-field capitulation, Elliott has no hesitation pointing to the round-22 thrashing by Canberra as the moment the Panthers' season went south.
"If I was of the expectation that we were going to come up with a performance like that and I was going to skate through as a cleanskin, I'm kidding myself," he said.
"As a coach, you have to accept responsibility for the way your team performs.
"From that particular day the team I coach has not been great. I'm not sitting here feeling like a victim and thinking people are picking on me. I understand where it's coming from."
While the season has been a wash-out, the Panthers have the opportunity to finish on a positive note against Manly, a side which will be looking for a big win given what is at stake.
Manly needs a decisive victory to make certain it edges out Melbourne to claim the minor premiership. "What I can say is we can play well enough to challenge any team in the comp," Elliott said.
"I still think they have to find a little bit of improvement. That's what they will be looking for this weekend. They won't be talking about points. They'll be talking about what they have to do to win."
Penrith officials will then set about attempting to pacify Pritchard, although it appears a lost cause.
Elliott declined to comment, although in all likelihood the New Zealand international will leave for either England's Super League or French rugby union in the off-season, stripping the club of one of the NRL's most influential players.
"What we need to make sure is that every player from this point is going forward with us," Elliott said. "Every player has to be 100 per cent committed."
http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,...-23214,00.html
Not looking good
PLEASE let it be that Elliott has been sacked.
