This is all insane. One thing that doesn’t get talked about much is Penriths chaos and disorganisation. Not only coaching, but players that leave before their contracts are up. Moylan, Latu, Cartwright, Peachey, CHN, those are the ones off the top of my head. I’m not necessarily saying they’re bad moves or that they didn’t turn out well, but for a team with such an amazing talent base their unforeseen turnover is huge.
I find it insane that Ivan wouldn’t have just laughed and slammed the door in the face of Penrith once they came calling. Once bitten twice shy. He was supposedly tired according to Gus. He denied that. That to me is a massive slap in the face. Why trust this clown?
Then you have Ivan telling people he is on the bus. Including his players. It seems that isn’t correct. Some of those ex Warriors would have walked through fire for him. They must be bemused.
And to work with your son? I would never want to work with my old man. Love him to death but this a very boysy type macho environment. Dudes get on the drink, they’re around a lot of broads, and dads hanging around? No thanks. What if his form wanes? Can Ivan show the same decision making on his son as he would with others?
And then the NRL. We have rules in place to stop predatory poaching years in advance on players. But here we have a coach with 2 years to run signing elsewhere. So one of their clubs is either forced to let him go because it’s untenable which undoubtedly particularly the Ex Warriors boys will find frustrating, or they will have a coach who may deny it but must surely have his eye on his future club. Particularly watching the player market. Potentially even on the side having a say in the types of players Penrith pursues. Whilst being paid by the Tigers.
You shouldn’t be able to approach a rival coach this far out. Not without express permission of the current club. It’s dubiius at best, highly unethical at worst. It has opened an enormous Pandora’s box.
I feel for the Tigers players. They have every right to feel aggrieved and frankly that they’ve been lied to. I have gone from having the most outstanding admiration and respect for Ivan to feeling he has been party to a fairly disrespectful ruse of the Tigers.