Paul Alamoti has justified Ivan Cleary’s faith in him having produced another barnstorming effort in the win over the Bulldogs. Alamoti was one of the best signings of the 2024 NRL season having left the Bulldogs and joined the Panthers as an outside back.
The winger went on to play 16 games for the Panthers that season and score in the NRL grand final to repay coach Cleary when it mattered most. And he started the 2025 season in similar fashion having scored four tries in three games.
Paul Alamoti (pictured far right) has justified Ivan Cleary’s (pictured left) faith in him having produced another barnstorming effort in the win over the Bulldogs. (Images: Getty Images)
Although the Panthers then went on a horror run and were last on the table after round 12. This prompted Cleary to make some big changes and after a dip in form, Alamoti was left out of the team for Thomas Jenkins. Alamoti did fill in due to Origin and injuries on five occasions throughout the backend of the season, but was finding himself playing in reserve grade.
But in a major call ahead of the Warriors clash, and then against the Bulldogs, Cleary opted to recall Alamoti on the wing for Jenkins for the finals series. And against the Bulldogs, Alamoti was arguably the most devastating player on the field having scored scored a hat-trick, run for more than 200 metres and produced five linebreaks.
The Bulldogs struggled to tackle Alamoti who recorded nine tackle breaks and the winger took the time to praise his coach for believing in him when he was struggling earlier in the season. “I’m super grateful that Ivan Cleary believed in me,” Alamoti said on Monday morning to SEN Radio.
“Particularly this late in the season, he has shuffled the team around. It was obviously a big call but he’s put his faith and trust in me. Ivan has allowed me to be myself and play. It’s certainly been a rollercoaster of a year. I had a few setbacks during that process but Ivan kept telling me to stay ready. I was looking for ways to get back into the team and it wasn’t a case of looking too far ahead.
“I just took every week on its own and tried to get the best out of it. Everything was going to take care of itself. That was my mindset during the middle part of the year. I found it tough but I just had to keep pushing through.”
Paul Alamoti (pictured right) celebrating another try for the Panthers.
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Alamoti’s shrug celebration after the third try said just about everything when it came to what fans were thinking about the winger’s journey. The 21-year-old was at the Bulldogs as a junior and could still have been playing for Cameron Ciraldo’s side.
Considering they were welcoming big name players, such as Stephen Crichton, Alamoti appeared to be surplus to requirements at the Bulldogs. And after a meeting with coach Cleary he joined the Panthers. While he did see a drop in form in 2025, the winger has returned stronger than ever and is proving to be a big game player.
And Penrith fans were quick to remind the Bulldogs they let the talented outside back go. The winger has made himself near undroppable and will line-up for the Panthers against the Broncos this weekend at Suncorp Stadium. This will be the biggest challenge for the Panthers with the Broncos enjoying a week’s rest after defeating Canberra.
Cameron Ciraldo defends Bulldogs’ season
While Penrith fans couldn’t help but take a little swipe at their rivals over Alamoti’s exit, coach Ciraldo said he wouldn’t have changed anything about the current season with the Bulldogs struggling in the backend of their campaign. “I wouldn’t change a thing… This is all part of the journey,” Ciraldo said.
“There’s been some tough times this year and our guys have had to deal with a lot more scrutiny than some other places and the way they’ve stuck together and handled it and kept building a really strong culture – we’re incredibly proud.
“Our season was weird, we were coming first but we had a couple of byes there that helped us sit in that position. We played a lot of top quality opposition the second half of the year. This is the first year our club had to go through the Origin period with a lot of players involved, so that’s another part of our learning.”