Penrith head coach Ivan Cleary has reportedly told right-hand man Cameron Ciraldo that should he mistime his entry into a senior role or select the wrong club, his own coaching tenure could become a short one.
Having led Penrith to an under 20's premiership in 2015 and playing a crucial hand in the Panthers' concrete form across the past three seasons, Ciraldo's credentials are clear to see - as is the interest from rival clubs.
At the present, just shy of a fifth of NRL clubs are still chasing a full-time senior coach, with Ciraldo already linked with shifts to the Bulldogs, Warriors and Tigers following the respective exits of Trent Barrett, Nathan Brown and Michael Maguire.
However, while posts at Belmore and Mount Smart may yet still be on the cards for the former Italian international, a five-year deal is reported to be on the Tigers' table.
And with Ciraldo having toured Wests' soon-to-be-opened Centre of Excellence at Concord on Monday, it appears likely that Ciraldo will become the eighth name to lead the merged entity.
Still, as reported by Dave Riccio of The Daily Telegraph, Cleary is said to have offered his two cents on the evolving situation, stating that timing is everything when it comes to picking up another man's reins.
“Ivan Cleary described how important it is for Cameron not to jump early into the wrong job,” Riccio told SEN radio listeners.
“Cameron is in the perfect position at Penrith in that he can stay in Penrith and roll over for another 12, 18 months or two seasons if he wants to.
“But if you don’t pick the right job, it could be a pretty short career. That was pretty insightful from Ivan.
“He has concerns over the Tigers and the Bulldogs which is obvious because they are 15th and 16th, and their history as far as coaching turnover is concerned.
“Ivan really encouraged Cameron to take the Craig Fitzgibbon model and just take your time.
“Knocking back these jobs this time around doesn’t demand that you never coach again or in the future. Full credit to Ivan Cleary.”
Cleary's purported comments come in the wake of former Panthers GM, Phil Gould, offering his own words of warning.
Though currently steering a coachless Canterbury, the influential 63-year-old stressed that Ciraldo's best bet would be to remain at BlueBet into the future and become Clary's natural successor.
"Coach the Panthers," Gould disclosed when quizzed for his recommendation on Channel Nine's 100% Footy during the past week.
"That would be my recommendation. I'll be absolutely shocked if he leaves. If he leaves, he needs to be very careful about the next choice that he makes.
"I can't speak for what Cameron's thinking, but I also saw him as a long-term chance of being the head coach of the Panthers.
"Make sure you're putting yourself in the club with the money and the proven record of success. It's a bit young to be taking on a rebuild at this stage. That's (sic) just my thoughts. It's up to him. It's his career."
Ciraldo will lead the Panthers into battle against the Warriors this weekend due to Cleary's ongoing battles with poor health.
