Can Ivan Cleary create order after years of chaos at the Wests Tigers?
IVAN Cleary has once again been charged with reigniting a club following a period of turmoil. Based on his track record, he’s a good bet to do it again.
Tigers
Don't miss out on the headlines from Tigers. Followed categories will be added to My News.
THE Warriors are insane, everybody knows that.
New Zealand are blessed with all the talent in the world and cursed with perennial underachievement.
It’s like something from Greek mythology. They have all the tools to be one of the best teams in the comp, but can’t ever put it all together.
Except, of course, when Ivan Cleary coached them.
Nobody except Cleary has been able to get consistent footy out of the Warriors. Daniel Anderson is the only other coach who comes close — took the club to their first grand final amid three straight finals appearances before it all came crashing down.
When Cleary was coach of New Zealand, from 2006 to 2011, the club missed the finals twice, in 2006 when they started on -4 competition points and in 2009 when Sonny Fai died.
Cleary took the Warriors to four finals series, a preliminary final from eighth spot and the club’s second grand final in 2011, when they nearly stormed home in the last quarter of the match to win it all.
Ivan Cleary is the only man who has created order out of chaos in New Zealand. With him, the Warriors made the finals four times in six years. Without him, they’ve made it three times in 17 seasons.
What better man to take charge of the Tigers, who have all too often been adrift in a chaotic whirlwind of their own making?
From the outside, there doesn’t appear to be anything overly complex about Cleary’s approach.
His players say he invests them with confidence by believing in them, and that belief gives the players power.
As he showed by dropping David Nofoalouma for the season opener against the Roosters, competition at training is what determines playing time, not reputations.
For a team like the Warriors, where talent seems to spring out of the ground fully-formed, that’s all they ever need.
It’s part of the reason why Ben Matulino, who debuted and became a Test player under Cleary at the Warriors, chose to rejoin his former coach at the Tigers this season.
“I just know what he’s about and how he works. He actually doesn’t say a lot. He’s got that vibe, you just want to play for him,” Matulino told The Daily Telegraph.
“Nobody’s seen him angry, but they’re scared to see him angry.
“Some of the plays he does are still the same and the way he coaches is still the same, and he’s still got the same values.
“Talking to some of the boys last year when Ivan took the reins, they said everything changed for the better. You could see the success they got in the back end of the season.”
Cleary’s first period as Tigers coach got off to a bumpy start. Two wins in their first three games, including a memorable triumph over the Cowboys away from home, precipitated a horror run where they lost nine of their 10 matches from April to July.
A late season rally, highlighted by a rollicking comeback win against Manly at Leichhardt Oval and a razor-close loss to the Roosters, was a glimpse of what the squad was capable of.
And while Aaron Woods and James Tedesco have hit the road, the squad has been remodelled with moves that focus less on star power and more on roster construction.
Matulino is a part of that, as is his former teammate Russell Packer, who form a quartet of former Cleary-era Warriors with Elijah Taylor and Pita Godinet.
Cleary has also shown himself to be adept at working with halves.
SUPERCOACH: Teams analysis for Round 1
OPEN UP: Lodge on his New York rampage
The 47-year old bridged the gap between Stacey Jones and Shaun Johnson at the Warriors with players like Grant Rovelli, Nathan Fien, Michael Witt, Jerome Ropati and Brett Seymour, while also giving Johnson and James Maloney their first real shots at first grade.
His years at Penrith, marred by perpetual rebuilds and injuries before his time in charge was bizarrely cut short, were highlighted by a preliminary final berth in 2014 on the back of a reborn Jamie Soward, who was close to the scrap heap when the Panthers picked him up from the Dragons via London.
It remains the Panthers best result since Phil Gould took over in 2011.
In Luke Brooks, Cleary has a player with plenty of raw talent that is yet to be fully realised. Confidence, belief and stability, all of which the Tigers have lacked in recent years, will do him a world of good.
Cleary’s composure is what stands out to Brooks, who has played under three coaches already in his young career.
“His calmness (stands out),” Brooks told The Daily Telegraph.
“He’s got a blow up in him, but he’s definitely calm. He’s a straight shooter and he tells it like it is.
“Also, for me personally, he has a lot of trust in me and tells me to back myself, which I think is really important.
“If the coach has confidence in you, that gives yourself confidence.”
It remains to be seen how Cleary will approach the season tactically — he is not bound to any one system which he’s carried from club to club — but it’s safe to assume the Tigers will embrace their attacking instincts in 2018.
“He just tells us to play footy,” explained Brooks.
“I think we’ve got a side that suits that sort of play, we’ve got the players to play that adlib and eyes up footy.”
Matulino, who had a career low in offloads last season, says he’ll be looking to pop passes more regularly this year.
Tui Lolohea, who’ll start the season at fullback after fighting his way back into form, is excited about the type of footy the club will play.
“We’re trying to play a different style of footy to other teams,” Lolohea said.
“We’re trying to use the ball a bit more. Our middles have been doing a lot of work with passing and even our outside backs (have as well).”
It could take some time for the Tigers to come all the way back. Many are still tipping them to prop up the competition ladder.
But they’re aiming high.
“Finals is probably a goal for every team,” Matulino said.
“The last time I played finals footy was when Ivan was there (at the Warriors) and the last time the Tigers played finals footy was against the Warriors when Ivan was coaching.”
Originally published as Can Ivan Cleary create order after years of chaos at the Wests Tigers?
Five-eighth to forward: Fittler’s bold positional call for Galvin
As Lachlan Galvin prepares for his first senior representative appearance for Australia’s Prime Minister’s XIII, coach and Blues legend Brad Fittler has tipped the rookie sensation for a shock positional switch to the forward pack.
Better than Cleary? Luai’s stunning Galvin admission
Jarome Luai has heaped the praise on his soon-to-be halves partner Lachlan Galvin with a massive call. The four-time premiership winner also speaks on captaining Samoa and playing alongside his Penrith replacement Blaize Talagi.