Not long ago, the Penrith Panthers were the NRL’s gold standard – built on defensive dominance and attacking precision.
But halfway through the 2025 season, that once-indomitable wall is rapidly crumbling, and head coach Ivan Cleary finds himself under growing scrutiny without his trusted tactical minds.
During their 2021–22 peak, Penrith conceded just over 12 points per game – a testament to the defensive structures crafted by then-assistant Cameron Ciraldo, who earned the nickname “Minister of Defence.”
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When Ciraldo departed at the end of 2022, there were concerns his absence would erode Penrith’s defensive edge. Initially, those fears were unfounded. In fact, Penrith’s points-against average slightly improved in 2023.
However, 2024 and early 2025 have painted a different picture. Their defensive average rose to 15.8 points last year – still the league’s best – but in 2025, it’s ballooned to 29.5 points per game, dropping them to 14th defensively.
A Round 2 demolition at the hands of the Roosters – in which Penrith missed 46 tackles and completed just 71% of sets – signalled a stark collapse. That 38-point concession was their first home defeat to the Roosters in a decade and sparked a five-game losing streak.
Meanwhile, Ciraldo’s blueprint thrives elsewhere. Since taking charge of a struggling Canterbury Bulldogs side, he has transformed them into the NRL’s premier defensive outfit. From conceding 32 points per game in 2023, the Bulldogs now average just 11.6 per game in 2025 – the best in the league.
The trend is mirrored in attack. Penrith’s offensive sharpness has dulled since assistant Andrew Webster left to coach the Warriors at the end of 2022. While Penrith’s “Black Attack” once averaged over 25 points per game and led the league in line breaks and set completions, recent seasons have seen the spark fade.
The 2024 opener yielded just eight points, and mid-season losses to teams like the Dragons highlighted their diminishing bite. Even their 2024 Grand Final win was a gritty 14–6 slugfest, not a showcase of dominance.
Conversely, Webster has implemented Penrith’s attacking DNA in New Zealand with impressive results. The Warriors became a top-four side in 2023, not by flair, but by replicating Penrith’s structured, grind-heavy playbook, boasting the NRL’s highest set completion rate. Even in a less successful 2024, they maintained one of the best offensive efficiencies.
With both Ciraldo and Webster thriving, questions mount around Cleary’s ability to steer the ship without them. The once-praised systems now seem heavily reliant on the assistants who built them. Analysts like Gorden Tallis and Matty Johns have suggested Penrith is suffering a “Ciraldo hangover,” and the stats appear to back that claim.
Cleary now faces the biggest challenge of his coaching career: reinventing Penrith’s strategic brain trust. With assistant turnover and key player departures (like Luai, Fisher-Harris, and Turuva) also biting, the need for tactical renewal is urgent.
Despite the roster still boasting elite talent, Penrith’s aura has faded. Defensive fragility and attacking inconsistency have exposed a dynasty in danger. If Cleary can’t reassemble a high-quality coaching group to replace the minds of Ciraldo and Webster, Penrith may continue sliding into the pack.
But if he succeeds, there remains enough quality to fuel a new era. Either way, the Panthers’ dominance can no longer rest on past glories – it must be rebuilt fróm the coaching box out.
