Penrith Panthers coach Ivan Cleary says young stars served well by modest contracts in early years

Asked for his thoughts on the Galvin situation, Cleary replied: “I don’t have any thoughts on Lachy Galvin per se, but I’ve definitely got thoughts on young players, the pressure that the big money comes with.

“I’ve just seen it too many times.

“It doesn’t matter who you are or how old you are, when the price tag comes with it, the expectations just change.

“That’s internally and that’s externally as well.

“No manager ever listens to me, but that’s what I believe in.

“Certainly, Nathan was a case in point. I thought it worked well for him.”

Asked if Penrith would consider making a bid for Galvin, Cleary replied with a chuckle: “I don’t think so. Unless it’s a bargain price.”

Not surprisingly, Cleary has more pressing priorities than worrying about his former club.

The Panthers have experienced a reality check after losing five consecutive games, a scenario that would have been unthinkable after they celebrated their fourth straight grand final triumph last season.

On Saturday, they take on the enigmatic Sydney Roosters, who have already beaten them this season.

‘When the price tag comes with it, the expectations just change.’

Ivan Cleary on the downside of lucrative deals for young players

“We’re just trying to play some decent footy,” Cleary said.

“If we can do that, we really believe that we can do anything. We haven’t done it yet, so until we do that, we’ll worry about the rest of it later.”

The coach said he is still searching for answers but is “absolutely” confident the Panthers are still alive in the race for the finals.

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“We’ve had some ridiculously good times, and so many of them that sometimes when you think of it, it’s a little unfair that we’ve had so many good times,” he said.

“The wheel turns. It’s our time to experience some of the downsides of what we do.

“But we’ve had enough of that, really, so we’re looking forward to trying to get the good times back.”

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