Penrith Panthers coach Ivan Cleary has gone into new detail on his mental health struggles, revealing that he wished he’d spoken to his wife Rebecca about what he was going through.
The four-time premiership-winning coach is on top of the world after Penrith’s historic victory against the Storm in the NRL decider, but few are aware how much the reserved 53-year-old has struggled in his private life.
When Cleary returned to Penrith in 2019 after a rough stint with the Tigers, he noticed his mental health deteriorating.
‘I had a few instances when I was at the Warriors, but in the 2019 season I was feeling very overwhelmed, for so many different reasons. Not the least being the fact I was coaching Nathan,’ he told SEN radio.
‘I wasn’t in a great head-space and I thought that was affecting Nathan as well, which sparked huge feelings of guilt for me.
‘The Panthers board put so much faith in me to bring me back to the club and I really felt like I was letting them down. I guess that responsibility can be a burden at times.’
‘I wasn’t talking about it to anyone and I didn’t even tell my wife about it,’ he said.
‘And that was the mistake I made back then.
‘And that’s part of what I’m trying to communicate in the book. It’s so important to talk about these things.’
Cleary, who ended up taking antidepressants, wants more men to talk about their problems in a bid to save lives.
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