NRL: Cleary-cut vision for the future

Former coach Ivan Cleary stands in the way of the Warriors advancing to the playoffs. Photo / Getty Images

Sometimes sport serves up delicious irony. Ivan Cleary was the last coach to take the Warriors to the playoffs and now his Penrith side stand between the Auckland club and the end of their top-eight dreams.

With fellow mid-table teams Brisbane and Parramatta losing this weekend, any result better than a four-point loss will be enough for the Warriors to secure a playoff spot.

Cleary was in charge at Mt Smart for six seasons, reaching the finals on four occasions, including the 2011 grand final. He has coached many of the current Warriors and played a major role in the development of key players such as Shaun Johnson, Ben Matulino and Jacob Lillyman.

"It's a bit of an advantage," said Cleary of his Auckland background. "I'm pretty confident I know how to win the game. You still have to go out there and do it but it certainly helps. [It's a] little bit ironic but, when the draw came out, I thought this kind of thing might happen."

Johnson was downplaying the Cleary factor on Sunday.

"Our structures have changed since he was here," Johnson said. "Sure he knows players and what they like to do but he needs to stop it and we are going to make that as hard as possible."

Both teams have huge incentives today, as two points would give the Panthers a coveted top-four spot.

Cleary left the Warriors at the end of 2011 in acrimonious circumstances, after protracted negotiations went awry. It has been fascinating to watch his Penrith revolution since then - the Panthers have finished 15th, then 10th and could be as high as fourth this season - and he has no regrets about the shift to west Sydney.

"Without a doubt, I could never have developed without leaving [the Warriors]," Cleary said. "I didn't necessarily want to change but that is how it went down and it's quite a good thing to go through. It throws you into a different environment with all sorts of new challenges. Three years on and I feel like we are getting somewhere. The foundation has been laid and it's time to keep pushing ahead."

Change has happened in deliberate stages. After a clearout in 2012, Cleary recruited players who were underused or looking for an opportunity (Dean Whare, Lewis Brown, Sika Manu, James Segeyaro). Ahead of this season, he wanted experience, with men like Jamie Soward, Brent Kite and Peter Wallace brought in. This year he has also given NRL debuts to four of the Holden Cup-winning side of 2013.

"We have almost recruited a whole new 13 in two years," Cleary said. "Now we have a stable platform and the young guys are coming through. We have probably surprised a few people with where we are at but there's still a way to go. We will probably be at our best when most of our top-grade players have come through the system here."

It's been quite a turnaround. Next week will be just the second time in a decade the Chocolate Soldiers have reached the playoffs and they have not won a finals game since 2004.

"The local community has been gradually absorbing our performances," says Cleary. "Because of the past, people here have been reluctant to sing and dance about being a Panthers fan but there is a buzz around town for this game, which doesn't happen all the time."

Penrith haven't finished the season particularly well, winning only three of their last seven.

Cleary has won three of the last four encounters with his former club, although lost 30-20 at Mt Smart earlier this year.

"They have been very good at the start of both halves," Cleary said. "They certainly won the start of both periods against us [in round 16]. But we're ready. We have played a month of big-time football against tough opposition and that has to help us."