Panthers manager Ivan Cleary reveals his terrifying mental health battles and why he hasn’t spoken to Phil Gould since 2019

Champion Penrith coach Ivan Cleary has opened up about some extremely personal issues, including a battle with depression that left him struggling to even get out of bed.

The four-time premiership-winning coach is on top of the world after Penrith’s historic win against the Storm last Sunday in the NRL decider, but few know how much the reserved 53-year-old has struggled in his private life .

When Cleary returned to Penrith in 2019 after a tough spell with the Tigers, he noticed his mental health deteriorating.

“I remember not wanting to get out of bed a couple of times in my career before that, so I was starting to realize what I was experiencing,” Cleary told News Corp.

“I realized I really needed help.

“I actually ended up looking back (at my life) and realized that I had (previously) felt signs of depression. I was struggling a lot.

‘One of my brothers helped me. He’s been through a lot in his personal life and obviously my wife was constantly talking to me about it.

Cleary, who ended up on anti-depressants, wants more men to talk about their problems to save lives.

Ivan Cleary (pictured) says he was struggling badly with his mental health in 2019

Cleary (pictured in 2018 with the Tigers) wants men to talk about depression

“The thing about men is we don’t talk about depression,” Cleary said.

“If you do, you feel like a failure.

“And you know, there’s one thing you have to be strong enough to be able to carry the can and get through it.

“I’m going to talk about the men in this case, where they have this responsibility to be the breadwinner for their family or just have other struggles in their lives.

“But that doesn’t mean you’re not resilient or not tough, just because you have to get through it.

“And often just talking about it helps, you realize other people are going through it and sometimes that can just give you the kick to keep going.”

Cleary has also recently opened up about his rift with NRL icon Phil Gould.

In his new book ‘Not Everything Counts But Everything Matters’, Cleary explains how he felt Gould was undermining him with comments made on television.

Cleary (pictured after winning the NRL decider) revealed he has not spoken to Phil Gould since 2019

Cleary (pictured with his wife Rebecca) is a four-time winning trainer

Gould, who had previously sacked him in 2015, said he wanted Wayne Bennett at Penrith and had no hand in getting Cleary back at the club.

Cleary confronted Gould about the issue in a phone call and the pair have not spoken since.

“It did me a lot of good, but it also hurt me,” Cleary writes.

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