Philip Ronald Gould is a winner, and the Penrith Panthers will be the beneficiaries for a second time under his wing.
Maybe not this year, even though the men from the mountains have made it into the top four of the NRL premiership, despite being without as many as 10 of their regulars.
The Panthers take on minor premiers the Roosters tomorrow night at Allianz, and only the bravest of punters would expect the Panthers to win.
But this is just the springboard for bigger and better things, starting next season.
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And that’s because Gould is the man at the helm, with his vast knowledge and ability to communicate one-on-one, or publicly as a mentor, commentator, or columnist.
In his playing days Gould was a superb ball distributor in the Artie Beetson mould, he could offload when he appeared well held. And he had a sharp football brain.
Those attributes were handy when he first started coaching the Bulldogs in 1988, and the Panthers in 1990.
In his first five years calling the shots, Gould coached two premierships, the Bulldogs in 1988, beating Balmain 24-12, and the Panthers in 1991, downing the Raiders 19-12.
Gould had great cattle with the Bulldogs – Steve Mortimer, Terry Lamb, Andrew Farrer, Michael Hagan, Peter Tunks (c), Paul Dunn, David Gilespie, Steve Folkes, and Paul Langmack.
He also had many bright young footballers at Penrith, with Brad Fittler, Greg Alexander (c) Brad Izzard, Steve Carter, and Mark Geyer, with the experience of Royce Simmons, Paul Dunn, and John Cartwright.
But both premiership teams had the Gould stamp on them, playing attacking football, with solid defence.
That’s why Phil Gould is the most successful NSW Origin coach. In eight years from 1992 to 1996 and 2002 to 2004, Gould engineered six series wins, a drawn series, and one loss in 1995.
His Origin record – 24 games, 14 wins, 9 losses, and a draw.
What makes Gould so special is his ability to select those around him to make a rock-solid team structure.
His appointment of Ivan Cleary from the Warriors as head coach was a masterstroke, just as picking up the slack with playmaker Jamie Soward, who had a prickly relationship with his previous clubs at the Roosters and Dragons.
It’s the Gould way or the highway, and by selecting quality support staff off and on the field, the highway leads to premierships.
Cleary is going gangbusters as coach, Soward has become the go-to man with his generalship around the park, and his trusty left boot for finding touch and kicking goals.
The big three Panthers – Phil Gould, Ivan Cleary and Jamie Soward – are stalking the premiership, but 2015 looks the more likely.
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