Ivan Cleary was in no mood to talk after Penrith’s second-straight defeat, giving just 13 words in an extremely short press conference.
The four-time premiership-winning coach was visibly frustrated after the Panthers went down 26-12 to the Cowboys, who were inspired by veteran Jason Taumalolo’s milestone 300th game at home on Saturday night.
Ivan Cleary speaks to the media after Penrith’s round 17 loss. Fox League
When asked for his thoughts on the game, coach Cleary brushed it off quickly.
“I don’t have many really, it wasn’t great,” he responded.
Cleary was then asked about Isaiah Papali’i, who left the field in the second half for a head injury assessment after a collision with Taumalolo.
“Ah, no he didn’t [pass it],” the Panthers boss said.
He followed it up replying “correct” when a journalist asked if Papali’i would miss the round 18 clash against South Sydney.
His son and superstar halfback Nathan was in a more talkative mood, conceding that Penrith’s struggles with the ball hurt them against North Queensland.
“It’s just probably lack of concentration, overplaying a little bit as well,” Nathan said.
“It was disappointing because I thought once we went down to 12, that’s probably our best period, which is saying a lot. We just lacked a bit of that hard edge.
“We’re just killing ourselves, trying to force it a bit.”
Penrith remain four points clear on top of the NRL ladder after the Warriors suffered a dramatic 26-24 loss to fellow contenders the Dolphins.