Ever since Michael Maguire confirmed his departure from the NSW Blues to link up with the Brisbane Broncos, several names have emerged as his potential replacement.
One of these names was Penrith Panthers coach Ivan Cleary, who just won his fourth consecutive NRL premiership and coached his fifth NRL Grand Final in a row.
Not only is he one of the best coaches in the competition at the moment, but he has a strong bond with several players in the NSW Blues squad, including Dylan Edwards, Matt Burton, Spencer Leniu, Stephen Crichton, Brian To'o, Jarome Luai, Liam Martin, Isaah Yeo, and his son Nathan Cleary.
While Cleary himself didn't confirm that he would not be the new NSW Blues coach, Panthers CEO Brian Fletcher defiantly stated that he would not take the role as the club looks to make it five-in-a-row in 2025.
“Ivan is having success here and is creating history. He's a chance of chasing more history so why would he muck that up? That's the last thing he would want to do,” Fletcher told The Daily Telegraph.
“The biggest problem is that we're playing away from home for the next two years. Plus we have to go to Vegas and take home games to Bathurst, Mudgee and Magic Round in Brisbane.
“We have a heavy schedule moving forward - we have a lot of travelling to do - so it would be highly unlikely that Ivan would make himself available."
The admission from Fletcher about Cleary leaves former NSW Blues representatives Laurie Daley, Danny Buderus, Dean Young, Matt King and Michael Ennis as the leading contenders for the job.
It is understood that Andrew Johns, Andrew Ryan, Brad Fittler, Craig Bellamy, John Cartwright and Ricky Stuart have also removed themselves from contention to succeed Maguire.
“Would he want to be in the predicament of having to pick Penrith players to play State of Origin? The answer is no," Fletcher added.
“When you list these things, why would Ivan want that burden put on himself? It becomes nearly impossible. Ivan has never mentioned it to me and I have never mentioned it to Ivan.”