The Penrith Panthers still haven't decided on who will be their head coach for the 2019 season and beyond, but the answer could be right under their noses.
Panthers legend Mark Geyer believes the current stand-in man Cameron Ciraldo is the right man for the job.
The fifth-placed Panthers have made it to week two of the 2018 finals after their convincing win over the New Zealand Warriors last Saturday.
They will now look to carry their form in the 27-12 victory across to their do or die semi final against the Sharks this Friday night.
It was only Ciraldo's third win from five games as head coach, but Geyer believes he has seen enough for Ciraldo to earn a contract extension regardless of the outcome against Cronulla.
Geyer told The Rush Hour with MG on Triple M the general manager Phil Gould should give the rookie coach a two-year deal.
“I was so impressed with him with his confidence about their procedures,” Geyer said.
“I think the auditions are over for Penrith, he’s their coach for the next two years. If I was Penrith, I’d be signing Cameron Ciraldo as the first grade coach.
“I wanted him to win a semi-final before I jumped on the bandwagon. He won last week. I think the players love him and once you’ve got the dressing room as a coach, that’s three quarters of the battle.
“He’s young, he’s vibrant, he’s new to the game, he hasn’t got any scar tissue and all the players around the club love having him at the helm so it’s time, Mr Gould, to put Cam’s name on the dotted line for a couple of years.”
The Panthers are in search for a new head coach after sacking former coach Anthony Griffin before Round 22.
Rumours of Wests Tigers coach Ivan Cleary joining his son Nathan Cleary at Penrith has been hot on everyone's lips, but nothing has been confirmed.
With Penrith still participating in this seasons finals series, they will be looking to sort out their head coach dilemma sooner rather than later.
