NRL: Door open for Ivan's legacy

Ivan Cleary has been praised by former Kiwis coach Graham Lowe for making the coaching transition easy at the Warriors. Photo / Getty Images

It could be four weeks; it could be seven. Coach Ivan Cleary's six-year coaching legacy could largely be determined by the length of time the Warriors remain in the 2011 NRL competition.

Cleary will be deemed a success if they make the playoffs, as expected, this season. His record then would be four finals appearances from six seasons (with the best result the semifinal loss in 2008) - a good tenure in anyone's terms as that includes the blight of 2006 when the team would have made the top eight but for a four-point competition penalty created by the previous regime's salary cap breach.

If the Warriors exit a week after the regular season, Cleary will be termed a solid coach who couldn't take them the extra distance, be it through a lack of player quality or coaching nous. Such a verdict would be reinforced by the first week exit to Gold Coast last year, despite finishing fifth.

Fans would be left wondering if Cleary's premature exit to the Panthers prevented the Warriors blossoming in his scheduled final 2012 season. However, if he can lift his charges to an appearance in the grand final this year, Cleary can prove his development plan was ingenious - the ultimate reward for five seasons of hard toil.

The side clearly has what it takes. They beat top of the table Melbourne 18-16 at home in round four and can beat anyone in the NRL on their day.

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."