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.
Bearfax
Roar Guru
Rather optimistic I suggest. Wests and Bronks are big question marks in my book for the Panthers. They'll make the 8 but I suspect at best 34 and probably 32
Sylvester
Guest
True, but I guess the fact they wouldn't offer the extended contract he wanted wasn't exactly a ringing endorsement
The RiffMarn Stew Moses
Roar Guru
Interesting though the only Warriors coach never to be sacked by the club
The RiffMarn Stew Moses
Roar Guru
Well going by the Top 8 in recent seasons with 28-30 points being the standard cut off the Panthers only need 4-5 wins from their last 12 games plus the bye. Going further then that 34-36 points should get a top 4 spot. That means 7-8 wins from 12 plus the bye. Looking at their draw in the 2nd half of the season & knowing their records well versus other clubs this is where I see the wins coming from: R14 v Dragons (H) R16 v Warriors (A) R17 v Wests Tigers (A) R18 v Brisbane (H) R20 v Sharks (H)* That should see them through to the eight Then: R22 v Dragons (A) R23 v Cowboys (H) R26 v Warriors (H) That should give them the 36 points required to easily secure a top 4 spot.
john badseed
Guest
Should just follow the Bluebags Bruce and you wouldn't be copping the heat. You're still a legend at Henson.
Pickett
Guest
Funny how players going to certain clubs are known as 'discards' (Soward & Wallace -> Penrith) while others, who are actual discards, Jennings -> Easts are known as 'marquee signings'??? Just because it happended to be Easts who signed them? Biased perceptions, eh?
Sir Jamie Lyon
Guest
Toovey perhaps?
Sylvester
Guest
Was never convinced by Cleary at the Warriors. They performed well in the post-season a couple of times, after fairly patchy seasons where they had to go on a run to even make the 8. John Monie and Daniel Anderson had better winning percentages.
ColdOranges
Guest
Interesting stats on win percentages of coaches by riverlad.
john badseed
Guest
Agreed. 'Super Coach' is a newspaper cliche. Big Jack invented barging the ball up for 3 or5 tackles and putting up a bomb. Of course it was the prototype for other premiership winning "next super coaches', but makes some teams seem pretty braindead at times.
tigerdave
Guest
I agree, he is a super coach. Lets look at his prepositioning of players and foresight. He was appointed by the basketcase team called the Warriors. He immediately saw they needed composure and recruited one of the best at the time in the backs (Tate) and one for the forwards (Price). Both were experienced in winning rep games for Australia and Qld in tight situations and both were invvaluable in Cleary's run to the GF for the team. Notwithstanding that, he pulled the players together like it had never been done before or since. The unifiied Warriors were ar real footy side and reached their potential winning the U20's and finishing second in the main game. , the GF. Lets look at Penrith, he and Gus rid the team of readable players that would have chewed their Salary cap for yeard. They traded internationels and invested in their youth, with serviceable senior players with upside( Soward and Wallace). Not surpirsingly the serviceable players are playing the house down and the juniors are performing beyond expectations. Both Gus and Ivan have a keen eye for future talent. This epotimised what can be done with a united front and back footy operation. Take note Parramatta, Newcastle, Manly and others. Ivan not only is an excellent coach but a very talented talent spotter. When identified, Cleary gets the best out of the players he has selected. Penrtih should knight Cleary and Gus and tie them into a lifetime contract.
Dogs Of War
Roar Guru
As a Bulldogs fan, I think we should play the Tigers and Eels twice each year, especially in years when I think we will beat you. Dirty we don't get the Saints twice this year.
The Barry
Roar Guru
Will and Bearfax have summed it up well...we have to see how the Panthers do during a run of games against top teams. It's not just about beating say the Roosters but how you back up when you have Souths the next week and then Manly the week after that tests a team. No mention of the draw at all in the article.
twodogs
Guest
It's certainly clear the previous loosely described supercoach (R.S) isn't one. You may have cursed Cleary Mr Brown. The term supercoach should only apply to what is behind them rather than what faces them.
Will Sinclair
Roar Guru
The draw is a farce. The Tigers have to play the Bulldogs, Manly, Roosters AND Souths all twice! How is it fair?
Bearfax
Roar Guru
Way too early to be giving accolades Mr Brown. Cleary is a good coach. We saw his efforts with the Warriors and he was better than any other they have had. And this Penrith side in my mind is a top 8 side this year. They are playing well. Of course, they have brought in a large number of new players to achieve that goal so its not just Cleary. But are Penrith the real thing this year or should we wait a little longer to see? You see of the 12 matches they have so far played, eight of those matches have been against sides in the bottom half of the comp. They played the Knights twice, Titans twice, Raiders twice and the Sharks and Storm once each, and lost both those games. Of the four top 8 matches they have played, they have one win and one loss to the Eels, defeated the Dogs by 2 when the dogs were going through early season problems and were flogged by the Rabbitoes. They have not yet faced the Tigers, Bronks, Roosters or Sea Eagles. They have so far been victorious in two games against top 8 teams at this stage. They've had a dream run. They are fortunate they don't have to play a few of the heavies like the Sea Eagles, Roosters and Rabbitoes twice this season But the test will come in the next 6 rounds when they have to meet four top 8 sides in the Tigers, Bronkos, Roosters and Bulldogs. Then we'll start talking about whether Cleary is up there with the best coaches and the Panthers are the real thing this year. At this point at best they've shown vast improvement and have potential to go further, but they have a lot yet to prove.
Renegade
Guest
LOL They play absolutely nothing like Manly
Will Sinclair
Roar Guru
It's true that you can only play what's in front of you. But this is the danger of having such an uneven draw. Some clubs have much easier teams in front of them than others.
Clark
Guest
I'm sure the head office has thought of that surely. Anyone know how their NSW an Holden cup sides are going?
Clark
Guest
You can only play who is in front of you. How could you predict that those teams were going to be as poor as they aye? Also Penrith have already beat the Bulldogs the season. I can see them finishing top 6 with the possibility of top for if they can take a few big wins from a couple of the front runners in question. Penrith deserve all the praise they are getting too, Cleary is a brilliant coach, really wish the Warriors did more to keep him in NZ