However, the Warriors' likely finish outside the top four diminishes their chances of winning the competition. Of the 13 grand final winners since 1998, none have come from outside the top four.
Regardless of 2011's result, Cleary says he has made a difference: "When I started [as head coach], a lot of the players did too. The club was basically a basket case. There wasn't a lot of trust, the brand didn't have much strength in the community. We also started four points behind the pack in 2006.
"We felt like we were at the bottom. The NYC [national youth competition] has helped us become regular finalists because of the pathway for young players. We now have a trusted and respected brand in the community. I'm proud of the role I've played to leave the club in that position."
Former Warriors and Kiwis coach Frank Endacott endorses Cleary's impact: "Every year he's been coaching, I'd take calls from journalists around round five or six asking if his head should roll. I always said 'wait until the end of the year' and have largely been proven right.
"A four-out-of-six-season finals record ain't bad, especially considering he probably hasn't had the firepower to go one step further into the grand final or win the premiership. But they're getting close - he can consider he's contributed a hell of a lot and that deserves recognition. He's proved he can make the tough calls too, choosing the likes of Shaun Johnson over Brett Seymour in recent weeks - that's impressive."
Former Kiwis coach Graham Lowe has observed Cleary for some time, latterly as Manly chief executive before he resigned earlier this year.
"There's no need for Ivan to establish a further legacy; he's stamped his mark and doesn't have to prove anything other than trying to win the competition. There's no need to rush changes at the club. As a coach you can't get into 'what ifs'. The team evolves over a season and one or two injuries can spell carnage. Ivan has left terrific systems. That's why there has been no drama in the transition. There is a calmness."
The players acknowledge it too. They have been empowered, rarely getting a tongue-lashing from the boss.
"Any coach who lasts six years in the NRL is doing okay," says outgoing hooker Aaron Heremaia. "I've been with Ivan three years. He doesn't say too much, but rarely needs to yell. When he talks, we listen; he has that sort of respect."
James Maloney agrees: "He never has that much of a blow up - he gave us a spray at halftime in the win against Canberra [from 8-10 down at halftime, the Warriors won 29-10], but compared to ones I've heard over time, it wasn't up there. He generally gets his point across quietly and that's what you want."
