Chris Rattue: Coaching dream team for Warriors

James Maloney of the Warriors. Photo / Getty Images

Brian McClennan as head coach with John Ackland his assistant - that is a dream coaching ticket for the Warriors because the pair are best placed to fulfil the founding fathers' dream for the club.

The time was right for Ivan Cleary to move on as there are no signs he can lift the Warriors beyond the mid-table shuffle.

The time is also right for crowd favourite McClennan to take charge. The strong-willed Ackland, very much his own man, would be a superb foil although his value as the club's junior coach can't be overlooked.

Ackland, a former Cleary assistant, also deserves powerful consideration as head coach, although I like the idea of the Mt Albert old boys working in tandem.

McClennan and Ackland are coaches with the will and ability to mine this country's playing resources. Cleary's regime mirrors the past, unfortunately.

When push comes to shove, the evidence says he doesn't totally trust enough of the young players on his doorstep or know how to properly develop them as first graders.

Cleary could point to Kevin Locke, Lewis Brown and Elijah Taylor etc but this is not the point. Frustratingly, not enough brilliant new prospects - including those in the elite mould of Stacey Jones and Ali Lauitiiti - are making it.

There is room - even a necessity - for a few Aussie signings, for sure. The club has made superb ones, led by Steve Price. They did well to spot Micheal Luck, lure fullbacks Brent Webb and Wade McKinnon, and bring Feleti Mateo's unique skills across the Tasman.

But there are too many inexplicable signings such as Brett Seymour, Shaun Berrigan, the flaky Krisnan Inu and the latest in a long line of dummy halves, Nathan Friend, who will be 31 when he arrives next year.

Auckland should even produce its own Mateo, a workhorse to match Luck, and develop outside backs a la McKinnon. The success of the physically powerful junior side is not translating properly into first grade.

The jaunty McClennan and more laconic Ackland have a history of successfully finding and coaching New Zealand talent.

This is where the Mt Albert old boys' hearts lie. The Warriors do not need the flood of Aussie imports.

They should be able to produce teams from within, the way Brisbane does. That's the dream anyway, and someone must try to fulfil it to thrill the crowds and stand out from the NRL crowd.

The other certain coaching candidate is Tony Iro, Cleary's assistant. Iro was among the most down to earth of all Kiwis in his playing days, liked by one and all.

He has probably been groomed for the top job. Iro has been a backroom figure, with nothing to match McClennan's record with the Kiwis and at Leeds.

How does the Warriors' power dynamic work? Who knows, but executive director John Hart is not a shrinking violet. A hunch says he will be the key influence if he chooses to be.