When Petero Civoniceva come to the end of his last contract with the Brisbane Broncos, he was the best prop in the game. He expected to be paid, and the club had always preached loyalty and told him that pay day was coming.
It never happened.
Petero didn’t want to leave the Broncos, but in a sense he was forced too. When it happened, there was a feeling that he felt betrayed by the club and those at the club he looked up to.
He arrived at Penrith on a big contract and joined a team going no where. In a way its a shame that he spent a good part of his career with a team that made zero impact on the premiership.
On the field, Petero did for Penrith what he has always done for every team he has every played for. He was an iron man, always there, always turning up, always giving good go forward. Give me a player like that over a spectacular but unreliable player every day of the week.
When you have Petero Civoniceva in you’re lineup, you never have to think about him again. He will always be fit, he will always train hard, he will always turn up. Super reliable.
Off the field over the last couple of season Petero Civoniceva has become an issue.
He was Matthew Elliott’s biggest supporter despite the fact that everyone within the game knew Elliott was killing the club. There were times when he openly berated the clubs management for dare looking to replace Elliott after years of failure.
Eventually Matthew Elliott was told he would not be wanted after the end of this season, and instead of stepping down immediately he stuck around until he was eventually told to go away and not come back for good.
Steve Georgallis was given the caretaker role, but when Ivan Cleary become available to the Panthers, his was signed up for a contract starting next season. Petero Civoniceva, while in State Of Origin camp, was said to be taking and making calls to Panthers players over this move.
You can’t have that as a club, especially when you are trying to change a terrible, lazy culture like the Panthers have been trying to over the last few months.
Petero Civoniceva was a very good player on the field for the Panthers, however off the field he just turned himself into a problem the clubs management were finding themselves having to handle time and time again.
Panthers fans have suffered for so many years under the previous coach and administration. We have seen a massive turn around in just a few months under the clubs new management.
In Gus we trust.
We trust him to the point where I would suggest only a few players would be considered untouchable. It just has to be that way for our club, we need that sort of ruthless accountability. It is something we need after so many years of zero accountability for poor performances!
Petero Civoniceva was on a very good sized contract at Penrith, now that money is free’d up and the club can look to spend that in a player market that has not yet given up its best talent.
With Ivan Cleary coming in, a coach who has shown a remarkable ability to develop talent, a huge junior base to draw from, and now even some money to spend if a good player becomes available….it is the situation you want the Panthers to put themselves into if they get the chance.
I tend to think Petero has made his mind up. He has one more season in him, there is a chance to have one for the road with the Brisbane Broncos, and good luck to have.
I’m not sure its ideal for a young Broncos side who really should be allowed to develop as a team and not have to share minutes with a prop who is only going to be there for one season, but hey, its the choice they made, they don’t really need to go into the market to buy a players, and if they have the money spare to give Petero a final season, why not.
As for the Panthers, I’ve always said, fans need to be prepared for things to get worse before they get better. We need to sit back and allow the club to be broken down completely so it can be rebuilt into the club we all want it to be. The club we know it can be.
The shame of what has happened over the last few years is that, Petero Civoniceva’s form on the field for Penrith will have no impact in the clubs record books. In a similar way to Mike Stephenson’s time with the club, we had one of the games best players on our books, and he slogged away for a team that never provided the results he deserved.
I’m sure all Penrith Panthers fans wish Petero Civoniceva all the best.
Having said that, it was time for a parting of ways.
