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I think it’s time we gave Ivan Cleary a pat on the back. True, we are only halfway through the season, but I think we’ve seen enough from Ivan’s Penrith side to safely assume they will be in the finals mix come September.
The Panthers’ season has been building nicely, transitioning from competitive outfit to genuine premiership contender.
It’s solid stuff thus far from Cleary, who showed he had the goods as Warriors coach and who has gradually improved a Penrith outfit since he took the helm in 2012.
Although his first year at the foot of the mountains was tough, he showed vision and resolve, compelling players to buy into his methods. His axing of the high profiled and highly paid Michael Jennings, plus the squeezing out of club favourite Luke Lewis, were examples of his strength, which wasn’t swayed in the face of popularity or ego.
The improved showing in 2013 had Penrith sniffing for a finals berth, only to finish just outside the eight, showing Cleary was on track.
But after missing out on marquee players such as Johnathan Thurston and Todd Carney, Cleary and club boss Gus Gould signed Peter Wallace and Jamie Soward, both discards from their former clubs.
On top of the halves pairing and some new kids coming through the club’s own ranks, Gus and Cleary signed a mixture of both youth and experience, with players such as Brent Kite and Tyrone Peachy joining the two-time premiership club.
In all, the club recruited solidly, even if they did miss out on one real bona-fide NRL star.
The signing of both Wallace and Soward in particular was met with mixed reactions, yet they have been proven to be astute buys. Both players are solid performers and were instrumental in their former clubs’ successes.
Neither are dominant, nor flashy. But both do each of their roles competently and with few errors. In fact, a quick look at the Panther’s roster and you could deduce that there’s something very moneyball-ish about it this season.
Yet much of Penrith’s success this year has to be shared with club boss Gus Gould. Although Cleary is on the coal face, it’s clear that Gus has given Ivan confidence and authority to perform his coaching duties.
The fact that Ivan has been able to move players on despite their status within the club is evidence that he has the backing to execute his vision and his job – some other clubs ought to take note.
As a coach, the quiet Cleary has demonstrated toughness, but he’s also shown he can get the best out of the players under his duty. As a result, the Penrith Panthers of 2014 are a combination of good management, astute recruitment, strong leadership and outstanding coaching.
To understand why this team is the result of good coaching, consider the following equation: roster + coach x working together = results.
A feature of Cleary’s teams is illustrated via the free-spirited nature in which they play – think of the Warriors. When you look at Craig Bellamy and Wayne Bennett’s sides over the years, structure and simple game plans are on the main menu – second phase play from offloads are risks and should be kept to a minimum, or even avoided.
Not so Ivan’s sides.
You can see that Cleary encourages his side to play footy, to play with a mixture which includes both structure and feel. In essence, instinct is not squashed, it’s nurtured. His genius lies in his ability to foster the relationships and the environment where his players have the self-assurance to develop and express themselves on the field.
What more could you ask of a coach?
That has been demonstrated with his squad this year. There’s no Greg Inglis, no Jarryd Hayne, no Johnathan Thurston and no Cameron Smith in this team. In fact, as of this moment, they don’t even have a current State of Origin player. Nor is there a Benji Marshall or Ben Barba having a breakout season that the rest of the team is riding on the coattails of.
This is just a solid football team who are executing their plays and performing to their individual capacities as a settled and happy unit. To put some perspective on Penrith’s mid-year position, it’s worth considering how Ricky Stuart would be fairing with the team Cleary has at the moment. Something to ponder there.
As much as Cleary is already well regarded, it is likely that Ivan will be talked about in the same breath as the Bennett, Des Hasler and the Bellamy. In effect, he will join the supercoach elite.
His quiet demeanour and cool approach are characteristics which are assisting to build a mystique around the man – something that will only grow as time goes on and further enhanced if he can manage to secure a premiership or two.
For now, it’s an impressive season so far from Cleary’s men, they appear to be finals bound.
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