I can see Cleary now but I'm not sure the rain has gone

As Ivan Cleary sat at the press conference, flanked by Wests Tigers Chair Marina Go and CEO Justin Pascoe, accompanied by a media release stating how impressed the board were with Ivan’s vision for the club, there was a sense of deja vu as a Tigers fan.

The club has been torn apart by factional fighting, financial difficulties, player versus coach feuds, and general disharmony since winning the premiership in 2005.

So what hope can we take out of yesterday’s announcement?

Commentators and Ivan will tell you he has been here before with Penrith and the Warriors. He has become the man you call when your team has hit rock bottom.

At the Panthers, Cleary and Phil Gould made significant changes to both players and culture, including removing the captaincy from Luke Lewis, which led to him leaving for the Sharks. Origin centre Michael Jennings was also released from his contract.

It is widely thought that Cleary lay the foundation for the success that Anthony Griffin is enjoying at the club.

[latest_videos_strip category=”rugby-league” name=”League”]

The Tigers playing group appear disheartened with the uncertainty in both coaching staff and playing contracts. There were a number of comments from fans on the weekend that the immensely talented James Tedesco was not his usual self against the Dragons. Does anyone know what has happened to his passing game?

There were two comments from Cleary in the press conference that gave room for hope. He talked about only signing players that wanted to be at the club – a firm response to the ‘Big Four’ who have been quoted in the media as preferring to play at a club that will be in the finals.

The other quote we can take heart from is “sometimes you have to go backwards before you go forwards”. It appears he is prepared to make the hard decisions in the short term to achieve long-term success.

Cleary is a good communicator, comfortable under the bright lights and appears to have good relationships with players, officials and the media. A refreshing change from the last person in the position, who was abrasive at best.

The club’s social media manager tweeted one word after Cleary’s presser, “impressive”, in anticipation of improved sound bytes from the new head coach.

The biggest mountain to climb for Cleary is the club itself. This is an organisation that has been around for 17 years, but still suffers from merged-entity factional fighting.

The salary cap issues that have burdened the team are largely due to administrators appeasing fans by handing local juniors long and generous contracts, well beyond their real value as players.

What other club would have let the Robbie Farah saga play out the way it did, with many fans walking away, while the Tigers still pay the majority of his South Sydney salary?

Cleary has to make a stand in the next month and sort out where the makeup of his squad is heading, even if he appears to be ‘Ivan the Terrible’ to some fans.

It will mean cutting the high-profile off-contract players loose if they are demanding more than they are worth, or are half-hearted about being part of the club.

The opportunity is now for a true rebuild. The club has hit rock bottom on the field and Cleary has the opportunity to assess who he currently has on the roster, who is available externally for 2018, and then put a squad together almost from scratch.

Both the lower grades are struggling so the coach will be looking outside to boost the quality of the squad.

I pray that future contracts are based on ability and that the club doesn’t let emotion get in the way of good judgement when making the hard decisions.

If Ivan Cleary is given the power and freedom to coach the squad of his choice without interference, maybe there is light at the end of the tunnel and the rain will clear.