Other NRL coaches go postal. For Ivan Cleary, a cocked eyebow is enough

Des Hasler rips a door clean off its hinges. Ricky Stuart makes the paint peel from the walls. Even the usually unflappable Craig Fitzgibbon unleashes a right hook on an innocent computer monitor.

And then there is Ivan Cleary, the Yoda of the clipboard brigade. When rugby league conspires against you, as it often does – whether it be a handling error, a dud referee call or an unkind bounce of the ball – it is enough to send a coach postal.

Through all the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune that make up an NRL season, Cleary somehow maintains his equanimity. Where other coaches spray their players, a cocked eyebrow or a quiet word from Cleary often suffices. There is no need to scream to command a dressing room when stillness is his strength.

“He sprays you nicely,” is the way former Penrith playmaker James Maloney once put it.

But does the cool, collected and composed Cleary ever lose his rag? Does the ice that runs through his veins ever boil? Is there a blow-up in him?

“Nope,” said Panthers forward Luke Garner. “I don’t know how he does it, to be honest with you. He’s got a good temperament. Sometimes the coaches, you can ride the wave with them, but he’s always pretty cool, so keeps us pretty calm.”

Told that we would keep digging elsewhere for a Cleary spray story, Garner grinned: “Yeah, good luck.”

“I’ve certainly seen it,” said hooker Mitch Kenny. “Everyone’s got the capacity to get a little emotional, but it’s not really him. It’s probably a little bit more disappointed, not angry, and that’s worse.”

Jack Cole, who will play alongside Nathan Cleary for Sunday’s finals clash against the Roosters at CommBank Stadium, wasn’t able to add much.

“Sometimes he raises his voice and stuff,” Cole said. “He doesn’t really get angry.”

Of course, Cleary is human and there are a couple of notable exceptions. The most recent occurred in round six last year. After winning their season-opener against Cronulla at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium, the Panthers couldn’t crack it for another victory when they headed to Suncorp Stadium to face the Dolphins.

Cleary had kept his poise through the rough patch. But with the season slipping away after copping a fifth straight loss – the ’Phins prevailed 30-12 – there was no more Mr Nice Guy.

“I think it was just a bit of a shock to everyone,” forward Isaiah Papali’i said. “He’s quite calm, cool, and collected, so I think it was more just an overall spray to the whole team. At that point in the season, it had been rough, so I think it was warranted.”

Casey McLean had a night to forget against the Dolphins, and remembers being on the end of a rare bake. Even then, the NSW centre qualifies it by saying it was “not like a full spray.”