The NSW flood crisis has had its first impact on the NRL, with Penrith Panthers coach Ivan Cleary forced to move in with son Nathan as the Nepean River continues to rise.
The Panthers coach has been living in a Penrith home owned by Nathan while he renovates his Northern Beaches property.
But he's since been forced to leave that home following evacuation orders due to rising floodwaters on the Nepean River, which reached a 60-year high on Sunday night.
Nathan had been living in the family's Leonay home for the past few months and will now be joined by his father and Penrith coach, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
It's understood Penrith chairman Dave O'Neill and the club's welfare and education officer Shane Elford have also been evacuated as part of NSW State Emergency Service orders.
Making matters worse for the club, the club's training fields are predicted to be underwater by later today as floods wreak havoc across the region, with concerns surrounding Peach Tree Creek where the club's multimillion-dollar high-performance centre is located.
A number of Penrith club staff are also expected to be missing today, which will no doubt impact the squad's preparation as they get ready to face the Melbourne Storm in the grand final rematch on Thursday night.
For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here!
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.