RCG not losing sleep over Panthers coaching drama

Reagan Campbell-Gillard has revealed some of his Penrith teammates were pushing for a decision to be made soon on their coach but the Kangaroos prop insisted he was comfortable with whoever the club appoints.

Cameron Ciraldo took over in a caretaker capacity four weeks before the finals after the sacking of Anthony Griffin and will be head coach or an assistant in 2019, with many believing Wests Tigers mentor Ivan Cleary will be in charge next season.

It is understood Cleary has agreed to join the Panthers on a three-year deal from 2021 and his chances of securing an early release are believed to depend on the Tigers gaining the services of an experienced mentor like Michael Maguire or Wayne Bennett as they don’t want to appoint a coach for the sake of it.

Campbell-Gillard said the Penrith players were unsure what was happening but he was happy to play under Cleary or Ciraldo.

"Most of us want the decision to be made soon so we can focus on having a pre-season and giving the premiership a real crack next year," Campbell-Gillard said.

"There are a few boys who want a few answers. I'm hearing Ivan, I'm hearing Ciro, so who knows. You ask the question but the answer is you’ll find out soon. Things like this you have to wait. It will happen out of the blue. We’ll see what happens in the next month or so."

The NSW Origin prop said he expected Ciraldo and former captain Peter Wallace to continue coaching the team at the start of the pre-season.

However, he would welcome the opportunity to reunite with Cleary after being given his start in the Telstra Premiership by him in 2015 during his stint in charge of Penrith.

"I have a soft spot with Ivan after giving me my first crack. I have respect for him," he said. :He is a great person and a great coach. If he comes back, happy days.

"If he comes back this year, next year or the year after, we’ll wait for that."

Cleary has made it clear he wants to coach his son Nathan, the Panthers and NSW halfback who recently signed a five-year contract extension.

"Only he knows what’s going on about who may be the coach," Campbell-Gillard said. "It does show maybe an insight into who will be the coach.

"Nathan is a tremendous kid and player. He deserves everything he gets. It shows the commitment he wants to show to the club. He is still a baby. If you look in another five years and when he turns 25 it will be scary to think the form he will be in then."