Loading Then, of course, the special people of Penrith: the Panthers coaches, players and staff; sponsors, members and fans. Your beautiful messages have touched me deeply and I can’t thank you enough. My time back at the Panthers for the past eight years has been absolutely wondrous. I find it hard to put into words how I feel about the club and the people. I have nothing but fond memories and kind words to say about the club and the people involved. The board of directors and management teams, past and present, have been an absolute pleasure to work with over these years.

Our current board of directors are an amazing group of men: all true Penrith people, all tremendously successful in their own right, now lending their passion and expertise to the Panthers. Proud achievement: Penrith's $22 million academy. The club is in very good hands. These people, led by chairman Dave O’Neill and Panthers Group chief executive Brian Fletcher, will guide Panthers towards what I’m sure will be a long and prosperous future. Our coaches and staff have been amazing. They work so hard. At this point, let me just stipulate once again for the record (and it’s frustrating having to repeat myself on this matter): I love Ivan Cleary.

On occasions during the past 24 years it’s been tough love, which, in a football relationship, it often needs to be, but never doubt the fact that I love him. As a player and coach he has always given 100 per cent of himself and he is the man to shape this club’s football program over the coming years. I urge our fans to support him in this quest. He won’t let us down. The right man for the job: Penrith coach Ivan Cleary. Credit:Channel Nine The thing I’m most proud of during our time together at Panthers is the fact we now have more than 50 people employed in full-time work, living out their passion of working in a professional football club. When I first started back at Panthers I think we had 11 full-time staff, all of them over-worked and under-resourced. Things are very different today. We take great pride in what our club has become.

Loading Panthers is a club of opportunity, not only for the young men dreaming of being NRL footballers, but for many men and women to work in rugby league, in an ever-increasing variety of roles, making enormous contributions to the great game of rugby league. Our staff at Panthers are truly amazing. I can’t thank you enough for your dedication and hard work to help make our club what it is today. Panthers is a real asset to the sport of rugby league. There is so much I’d like to say and so many stories I would love to tell about the journey we’ve shared together at this special club. Perhaps one day I will sit down and take the time to write a book. Then again, I probably couldn’t do it justice. I just hope these very special times never fade from my memory. At this stage I have no real plans for the future, other than to continue my career working with Channel Nine in the greatest job in the world. I am so lucky to have been gifted such a wonderful opportunity to stay in touch with the game I love. It’s not work, it’s a privilege.

Loading As this chapter in my life comes to a close, I’m reminded of the age-old saying: “Don’t be sad it’s over; smile because it happened.” To have been made a life member of this club is indeed one of the greatest honours I could imagine. I wish the Panthers a long and rewarding future. Thank you again, to everyone.