Ivan Cleary has delivered a touching tribute to the Warriors, labelling New Zealand his “second home” after downing Andrew Webster’s side in an elimination final.

Cleary coached the Warriors across 154 games between 2006 and 2011, having also played 53 games for the club across a three-year stint which ended in 2002.

He found success with the New Zealand club, leading them to a grand final in 2011, which they ultimately lost against the Sea Eagles before he joined the Panthers for his first stint.

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Speaking after Penrith dumped the Warriors out of the 2025 finals series, Cleary paid tribute to team that holds a special place in his heart.

“I love it here, I would call it my second home. I do feel a little bit sad for the Warriors community,” Cleary said.

“But you should be really proud of the great season, certainly had some things go against them.

“Losing Mitch Barnett and (Luke) Metcalf are huge losses, right at the wrong time so they’ve been really brave since and should definitely think it’s a good season.

“There’s a lot of promise within this club. They will definitely be a force to be reckoned with in the next few years.”

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Webster was also one of Cleary’s assistants at Penrith before he was handed an opportunity to take over as Warriors head coach in 2023.

Cleary’s son, Jett, also is in his first season of a three-year contract which sees him earn a promotion to the NRL squad in 2027.

The Panthers mentor was also quizzed on rising star Leka Halasima, after the gun back rower scored the only try for the Warriors on Saturday evening.

“I heard a few of the boys talk about how hard he is to tackle, he’s obviously a bit of a genetic freak,” he said.

“He’s more than that, he looks like a pretty smart player and he’s just one of many, that’s what I mean. There’s a lot of good players coming through.

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“The Cup team has just destroyed that competition to this point. They’d be disappointed to end their season early, but there’s plenty of green shoots ahead for this club.”

The Panthers now face the Bulldogs in a crucial semi final, coming up against a host of familiar faces in Cameron Ciraldo and Matt Burton.

“Talk about tough road games, at least we don’t have to travel. We will be going into a big house at Accor Stadium next week,” Cleary said.

“And a team that has been right at the top all season, full of superstars and that’s what you expect from finals.”