Penrith coach Ivan Cleary admits he was disappointed to see the back of winger James Roberts after the troubled youngster was sacked by the club last week.

The richly-talented Roberts was also shown the door by South Sydney in 2012 following a serious of off-field misdemeanours before being picked up by the Panthers.

He showed flashes of brilliance when selected by Cleary, scoring six tries in as many games – including a hat-trick against the Gold Coast, before a broken leg sustained in training ruled him out of the start of this season.

But his contract was torn up last Friday following an alcohol-related incident where a taxi window was reportedly smashed by the 21-year-old.

“It was a sad day, but it was decision we had to come to,” Cleary said on Friday.

“But it was a decision we had to come to and I am happy with it and I wish James all the best.”