Loz tells Gus to pull his head in

THE big input of club legend Phil Gould at Penrith has been highlighted as confusing and possibly diluting the power of coach Anthony Griffin.

Former NSW Origin coach Laurie Daley said players could get confused after it was revealed Gould had served them up a 30-minute blast in the Belmore sheds after a 24-10 trial loss against Canterbury as Griffin stood back and watched on.

Gould has ramped up his input at training and in video sessions during the summer to the point some are now questioning who is actually in charge.

As Panthers officials confirmed Griffin would see out his contract to 2020 – and an early payout had not been discussed – Daley, who came under fire from Gould after NSW’s Origin series loss last year, said ‘Gus’ needed to leave Griffin to do his job.

“Gus has employed Anthony Griffin to coach the football team, and he’s the general manager,’’ Daley said on Sky Sports Radio’s Big Sports Breakfast.

“I know Gus has been a great coach and he has great ideas, but you have to let the coach run the show.

“You’ve employed him to do that.

“If you start meddling in those affairs, things will get out of control pretty quickly, and the players will start to see it, and the players will go, ‘is Anthony coach?’, or ‘is Gus coach?’.

“Who do we listen to? That’s when it starts to become confusing. They need to be careful because this could get out of control.’’

Gould, a coach who led Penrith and NSW to glory, denied he had given Griffin a half-time spray outside the sheds at Belmore on Saturday, and even slammed those reports as ‘’rubbish’’.

Just eight days out from his team’s season opener against western Sydney rivals Parramatta at a packed Pepper Stadium, Panthers chairman Dave O’Neill defended the future of Griffin.

“One hundred per cent he is safe. We’ve never had a conversation about the coach moving on,’’ O’Neill said.

“We’re just looking forward to the season starting.

“From a personal point of view, this place has never been happier.’’

Several players have become frustrated with having to forever defend Griffin’s role, especially after the departures of Matt Moylan, Bryce Cartwright and Leilani Latu over the summer.

Tyrone Peachey’s threeyear deal with the Gold Coast was also confirmed yesterday, but he is expected to see out the 2018 season with Penrith.

I KNOW GUS HAS BEEN A GREAT COACH AND HE HAS GREAT IDEAS, BUT YOU HAVE TO LET THE COACH RUN THE SHOW. YOU’VE EMPLOYED HIM TO DO THAT LAURIE DALEY