Ivan Cleary appears likely to lose another influential figure from his staff.
The Penrith Panthers look likely to lose another high-profile assistant coach, with Ben Gardiner tipped as the top contender to take over from Paul Wellens at St Helens in England. Peter Lang of ‘The Western Weekender’ newspaper in Penrith reported on Monday night that Gardiner is rumoured to be the ‘No.1 target’ for the English club.
“Current Saints coach Paul Wellens is under increased pressure to keep his job after his side lost 17-4 to Leeds Rhinos last start,” Lang wrote on social media. Wellens played 499 games for St Helens across an illustrious career in the UK, while also playing 31 Test matches for England (11) and Great Britain (20).
He’s been head coach of the Saints since 2023, winning 47 and losing 29 for a 62 per cent record. But things reached boiling point after their loss to Leeds, which left them with a 5-5 record this season.
According to local reports, Wellens copped some shocking abuse from fans at St James’ Park, and one even tried to attack him. The loss marked St Helens’ third in a row, sending them to sixth on the ladder and in danger of missing a playoff berth. They were recently knocked out of the Challenge Cup by Warrington – their seventh consecutive loss to the Wolves across all competitions.
Panthers could lose another top assistant coach
With Gardiner tipped to take over from Wellens in the coming weeks, it would be another blow to the Panthers and head coach Ivan Cleary. Gardiner has been an assistant coach under Cleary since 2023, helping the Panthers win their third and fourth NRL premierships in the space of four years.
As well as losing a number of high-profile players amid their four-peat, the Panthers have also had to part ways with some instrumental coaches. Cameron Ciraldo and Andrew Webster worked under Cleary in 2021 and 2022, but have since become head coaches at the Bulldogs and Warriors respectively. Webster was voted Dally M coach of the year in 2023, while Ciraldo was a nominee in 2024 when he missed out to Craig Bellamy.
Gardiner has an impressive pedigree as a coach, and has also worked as Samoa’s head coach since 2023. In that time he’s taken Samoa from one of the minnows of the rugby league world to genuine contenders, convincing top players like Jarome Luai, Stephen Crichton and Brian To’o to keep representing the nation. His leadership has also contributed to the likes of Payne Haas and Tino Fa’asuamaleaui considering switching allegiences from Australia to Samoa.
Gardiner was formerly an assistant coach at the Wests Tigers and had one game as the caretaker head coach in 2022. Since 2023 he’s formed a dynamic duo with fellow Panthers assistant Peter Wallace, helping Cleary and the Panthers win the third and fourth premierships in their four-peat.
“Peter and Ben are both impressive coaches who add a lot to our coaching staff and playing group through their relationships, knowledge and work ethic,” Panthers CEO Matt Cameron said previously. “Peter has been a valuable member of the Panthers for many years now and I’m excited to see him progress to the next stage of his coaching career.”