Source :- THE AGE NEWS
Penrith coach Ivan Cleary will have no issue if Isaah Yeo further delays pectoral surgery to captain the Kangaroos in the Rugby League World Cup, while admitting tears were shed over Brian To’o’s decision to leave the club.
The Panthers have been at the forefront of much of league news this week: To’o’s decision to join the Papua New Guinea Chiefs from 2028; Yeo opting not to go under the knife in a bid to return for the finals; fullback Dylan Edwards being rated “a chance” to play the Roosters on Thursday; and uncertainty over five-eighth Jack Cogger’s availability given his wife is heavily pregnant.
And then there’s the usual scuttlebutt about the list of soon-to-be off-contract stars, and whether they are any closer to deciding on their future. Cleary addressed it all during a 15-minute press conference on Thursday, on the eve of a Roosters clash that will have ramifications for both teams’ ambitions of a top-two finish.
Cleary is a phlegmatic figure who has watched plenty of his players leave. However, he admits emotions got the better of them when To’o revealed he was heading to the Chiefs.
“There would have been a few [tears], yes. Yeah, there were,” Cleary said.
“It’s a hard one for him. Hard one for him to tell all his mates and even family. There’s been a fair bit on his plate lately, Bizz.
“He probably feels a little bit lighter now. It’s emotional, because these guys feel like family … It’s very sad that Bizz is going to be going, but I’ve had a few of those over the years, too. So, you’ve got to move on. It is a business too, it’ll all work out.”
Cleary said he was not certain about the best-case scenario for Yeo’s return after he decided not to immediately go under the knife. Yeo is targeting a finals return, but will likely need a 12-week recovery when he eventually undergoes off-season surgery.
Regardless, Cleary said Yeo “can do whatever he wants” in relation to being available for the World Cup.
“Absolutely, I mean, all our players, representative footy is part of the makeup of our game,” Cleary said. “The World Cup doesn’t come around every day. But, you know, he and we will make the right decision at the right time …
“We’re just going to have to wait and see how he recovers and how it goes over the next few weeks, and then we’ll make a judgment there. If he starts playing again, then we’ll make another judgment based on that.”
Cleary said the decision to allow To’o to make an early call on his future was designed to help the club lock down other off-contract stars.
“This is just the system we work in, so it’s 365 days of the year, and we don’t have any control over that,” he said.
“There’s been a lot of work going on in the background, and yeah, we’re very hopeful of having a few of them done. But you definitely don’t want to be going into the finals doing this sort of stuff. So it’s a real balance.”
Sources not authorised to speak publicly said centre Paul Alamoti was close to recommitting, with the club expected to ramp up talks with Yeo while he isn’t playing.
Cleary admitted clubs aren’t able to compete financially with the tax-free dollars on offer from PNG.
“No, it’s not your average club,” he said. “If players want to go there, then you can’t compete.”
A philosophical Cleary added: “I remember when I first played 35 years ago, my first coach [Marty Gurr] said to me ‘rugby league isn’t fair’ and I think he was right.
“I’ve worked that out along the way. So, whether it’s fair or not, that’s what the game’s gone with. I can understand it. If you’re going to bring new clubs in, you’ve got to make sure they work. Obviously, the PNG one is bigger than rugby league, so they’ve got to make it work.”
Cleary said he had “contingency plans”, but said Edwards and Cogger were chances of taking on the in-form Roosters.
“They’ve always got a blue-ribbon roster, plenty of stars in there,” Cleary said of the Roosters.
