Nathan Cleary rebounded from NSW’s State of Origin defeat by delivering a masterclass as Penrith claimed a 42-6 win over a Newcastle side deprived of Kalyn Ponga on Sunday.
The loss continued a poor run of form for the Knights which has brought just two wins from their last 11 games under coach Adam O’Brien.
Newcastle haven’t won in their last five games at home and have conceded 197 points in that time.
Penrith assistant coach Cameron Ciraldo took charge of the Panthers for the day in a week in which the Warriors and Wests Tigers sacked their coaches. He concedes he feels uncomfortable being the subject of constant scrutiny with three NRL clubs on the hunt for a new head coach.
Canterbury have yet to announce a replacement after they axed Trent Barrett last month.
Ciraldo is the next head coach in waiting, given his record at mastering Penrith’s defence over the past few seasons, which has contributed to their 2020 minor premiership and last year’s grand final win.
The Panthers are attempting to extend his contract but the lure of a top job might prove too much for him.
The 37-year-old played a straight bat to questions about his future as he stepped in for Ivan Cleary, who remained at home due to ongoing issues related to recent knee surgery.
“It’s probably not the forum to talk about what I want to do,” Ciraldo said. “It’s a credit to our club and players that they don’t let that become a distraction.
“Obviously, it’s a little bit uncomfortable seeing your name in there (newspapers) all the time. But it’s also very flattering.
“My job at the moment is to just keep doing the best I can for Penrith and hopefully keep improving on our defence.”
Ciraldo is the hot favourite for the Tigers job, with the club’s head of football Tim Sheens effectively declaring that they want a “development coach” to take them forward.
Cameron Ciraldo. (Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images)
So popular is Ciraldo, he phoned O’Brien during the week because of speculation he was interested in taking the Newcastle job. Ciraldo spent five seasons at the Knights during his playing career.
“We’re good mates and that was a bit of a challenge during the week,” he said. “I know Adam and he’ll work his way out of it.
“I’m happy doing what I’m doing and have some pretty special relationships at this place. But I’ve got to look at what’s in my career and what’s down the track. I’m just focused on Penrith and we’ll get to that (a decision on my future) in due time.”
In front of 21,332 fans at McDonald Jones Stadium, Ponga was trampled by Viliame Kikau when the Penrith forward barged over for a try in the 13th minute.
Ponga went off for HIA and did not return to the field after laying prone while attempting to thwart the Fijian back-rower close to the Knights’ line.
Given the Knights don’t play Canberra until next Sunday, the fullback should be able to play another match prior to Queensland’s Origin II team announcement the following week.
“It was a ripple effect for us,” Knights coach Adam O’Brien said of Ponga’s exit.
“I’ve just spoken to him and he’s fine. He’ll do the protocols but I would’ve given him a rest for the next few days anyway.”
Stephen Crichton. (Photo by Ashley Feder/Getty Images)
Even in the period their star man was on the field, the Knights were largely ineffective due to the brilliance of Cleary and halves partner Jarome Luai.
The Penrith duo had an uncharacteristically poor showing in Origin I but both responded perfectly.
Without lock Isaah Yeo (rested) and Cleary’s father and head coach Ivan – due to an ongoing knee problem – the Panthers were faultless, exemplified by the fact they finished the first half with a 100 per cent completion rate.
“I knew he (Nathan) was going to come out and get man of the match,” said Panthers assistant coach Cameron Ciraldo.
“It was pretty unfair some of criticism he copped on Wednesday but we wouldn’t swap him for anyone.
“The (Origin) boys were smiling and had a really good energy about them and they were really focused to come up here and get a result.”
Cleary scored Penrith’s opener with Kikau, Taylan May and Brian To’o all crossing before halftime, with their halfback adding a penalty to give them a 26-0 lead.
Centre Izack Tago continued Penrith’s hot run when he dived on a Kikau grubberkick just after halftime, with To’o notching another to his tally along.
Stephen Crichton also crossed for a try after making his Origin debut midweek.
Cleary kicked six of seven conversions to boost Penrith’s total and help reinstate their four-point gap at the top of the NRL ladder.
Newcastle scored their sole try in the last five minutes courtesy of Edrick Lee.
“The reality of where we need to get, it’s going to take some time,” O’Brien said.
“It’s not a quick fix and there’s some stuff that has been ingrained in this club for decades that we need to get on top of. Progress is rarely in a straight line.”
© AAP
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