Had Ivan Cleary still been at Penrith, his son Nathan would likely still be waiting to make his debut.
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Which is why Jed Cartwright, also the son of a gun, is relieved his famous father won't be joining him at the foot of the mountains.
Cartwright will soon become the sixth member of his family to pull on a Panthers jumper after recently accepting a three-year deal. He is the latest from a Cartwright clan that includes his father John, cousin Bryce, uncles Cliff, David and Michael and Merv, one of the club's founding fathers.
Jed and John enjoyed a stint together at the Gold Coast but they have since gone their separate ways, with the latter an assistant at Manly. Their paths are unlikely to cross anytime soon from a footballing perspective unless Jed breaks into the State of Origin team, where his father has recently been appointed an assistant to coach Laurie Daley.
However, the more pressing matter is making an NRL debut, no easy task given the abundance of quality forwards at the Chocolate Soldiers. If he is to do so, it will be on his own merits.
Ivan Cleary, perhaps concerned of accusations of nepotism, revealed he wouldn't have blooded Nathan as early as coach Anthony Griffin did when he threw the teenager in against the Storm mid season.
Jed Cartwright acknowledges it is probably best he too will be vying for a start at a club where his father has no influence.
"It would have been a bit odd playing under him, I reckon," Jed Cartwright said.
"I can benefit from that [distance]. He's always there if I need advice and everything like that. Obviously he's my father so I can ring him up if I need help with anything. He's always there and I've got good coaches here to help me out with my football."
While proud of this family history – "it's not a blessing or a curse" he said of the surname – Cartwright is keen to forge his own identity. The 20-year-old has overcome an ankle problem that limited his game time and is keen to join Bryce, considered a future representative player, in the first-grade side.
"That would be unreal, that's definitely a goal, to have two Cartwrights playing," he said.
"There's a lot of hard work for me to do before that could happen. I'm very hopeful."
