"I've followed his progress with great interest at the Warriors. They are mastering the development strategy as a club. They won the under-20 competition last year and Ivan has recruited well from there. Some of those he recruited were at best marginal in my opinion, but he turned them around through perseverance.
"We require two or three seasons of intense development coaching. It's not going to be easy because the club is having a difficult time financially and our junior development has waned in the last five years.
"There won't be any marquee signings for a while. Penrith is a wonderful rugby league development area. Rather than spending, we will be investing money back into our junior systems."
Evidence backs Gould's claims. Penrith is widely acknowledged as a league spawning ground with a huge catchment area.
Penrith skipper Petero Civoniceva, who returns to Brisbane at season's end, says they have failed to capitalise on that recently.
"The depth of junior talent probably hasn't been utilised enough in my time. I think we've only had two local players come through to play seniors this year. That's not enough. Ivan has shown he can consistently develop young players and they are making it a target.
"To an extent we have rested on our laurels knowing it is Australian rugby league's biggest nursery. That's not enough. You need people on the ground nurturing in schools and communities."
Regardless of Cleary's role, the club's return to success depends largely on Gould. If the Panthers miss the finals this year, as expected, they will have been in the bottom half of the table six of the last seven years. The exception is last year's semifinal cameo.
Gould is a coach with an outstanding pedigree including two premierships and six State of Origin series wins out of eight with New South Wales.
However, veteran coach and, until recently, Manly chief executive Graham Lowe says Gould's empowerment of Cleary is critical.
"The club is saturated with disappointment at present. Severe means will be required to turn it around. They've been feeling financial pressure but to my knowledge there are no major dramas with the club culture; or at least nothing a big stick couldn't fix.
"The club is also fortunate to have Phil from a media perspective. Because of his links across Channel Nine and through radio and newspapers he is well placed to create the club profile he needs. The transition to Ivan should be smooth; the most difficult challenge is finding the line where Gus [Gould] steps aside."
The last word goes to someone with a thorough knowledge of Gould's capabilities. Mark Geyer earned a reputation as a hardman second-rower with the Penrith side that won the club's first premiership under Gould in 1991. He admits to a fair share of run-ins with his former coach but says no one will be working harder to succeed.
"I think we can expect big changes behind the scenes and in junior development. Gus regularly works 14-16 hour days - anyone who says he's not committed is talking out their arse. He's an educated man and a perfectionist. He will expect excellence as soon as Ivan hits the ground.
"Ivan is one of the top young coaches in the game. He already has a lot of experience and this year could still be a perfect swansong at the Warriors.
"However, over six years he's exhausted most avenues there. If you're treading water, change can be welcome."
