Cleary wants OK for half-full Panthers Stadium

Опубликованно 22.09.2020 19:25

Cleary welcomed the move for crowd capacities to be doubled heading into the business end of the season.

The Sydney Cricket Ground, Bankwest Stadium and ANZ Stadium have been approved for 50 per cent, but the Government is still assessing whether the increase will apply for Penrith and Newcastle’s McDonald Jones Stadium.

Given the Panthers are poised to claim the club’s first minor premiership since 2003, Cleary is hopeful that the government will give their home venue the green light for more fans.

“I hear that it should be OK,” Cleary said.

“We’ve got some wheels in motion, hopefully.”

If the government doesn’t approve Panthers Stadium, the competition leaders could be forced to play their home final at ANZ Stadium or Bankwest Stadium.

This wouldn’t be ideal, especially for Penrith’s loyal fans, but Cleary isn’t too concerned about playing at a neutral stadium in the finals.

“One thing this season has done is it has made you be a little bit more adaptable to playing in different venues,” he said. “There was one stage when we’d won 10 in a row and eight of them were at different venues.

“It has certainly helped for us. We’ve always been good at playing at Panthers, but away from home not as good.

“But this year we’ve been able to win in a lot of different areas.

“We are just happy to be in those games to be honest, but if we can get a game at Panthers we will take it for sure.”

Cleary confirmed that forward Jack Hetherington will play against North Queensland in Townsville on Friday night.

He is expecting big things from Hetherington after he impressed during his loan stint with the New Zealand Warriors.

“Jack hasn’t played since round 1 for us, but it was nice for him to be able to get those games at the Warriors during the season,” he said.

“He is a very popular member of our club and team. I guess he is still trying to find the balance between that aggression and technique issues as well.

“He is working extremely hard at that, but it is nice to have some fresh energy in the team.”

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