Mark Graham and Tony Kemp are the only Warriors' coaches to grab victories in their first matches but the two former Kiwis have the worst winning percentages, at 36 per cent and 35 per cent respectively.
Kemp's start in particular was a false dawn; his team rallied to beat Canberra 20-14 in the wake of Anderson's awkward exit, only to be smashed 50-4 a week later by the Tigers in Christchurch and didn't get close to the finals in either of his seasons in charge.
McClennan has made a favourable impression with everybody associated with the club.
"I'm loving his style," says Nathan Friend. "It will be interesting to see when the season starts if he changes at all but at this stage the boys are loving what he is bringing to the table with his structures and strategies. If we can get behind him and carry it out, it is going to be hard to stop this big ship, I reckon."
McClennan also impressed with his vision at a high powered dinner with new owners Eric Watson, Owen Glenn and NRL chief David Gallop last week in Auckland.
"So far he is everything we thought he would be," says Watson, "and maybe a little bit more".
"Before he knew I was coming on board [as an owner] I asked him what four players he would sign if money was no option," says Glenn. "He told me he was happy with his group; they were the ones he wanted."
As history shows, a win this afternoon is not essential in terms of predicating success but it would be an invaluable boost in terms of belief for the McClennan philosophy.
With the departure of coach Des Hasler to the Bulldogs, much has been made of Manly's supposed vulnerability after some underwhelming pre-season results.
But they remain a formidable outfit and have the same personnel that dominated the Warriors for long periods in the 2011 grand final.
Apart from a brief period when they were part of the Northern Eagles, Manly have enjoyed a history of success over the Warriors. They have won eight of the last 10 clashes and their aggressive, relentless style has been difficult for the Warriors to combat
"They are always an aggressive team - you get quite nervous coming up against them," says prop Ben Matulino. "They have some big guys and always hit hard. They never stop coming at you."
"The first 20 minutes will be pretty physical but if we can get through that and get into a bit of a grind, we will be a great chance," says Friend.
"They are aggressive and always try to bully teams and it seems to work but I can't see why the table can't slowly turn this year."
Just like the grand final, much will depend on the Warriors' ability to minimise errors and stay close to the Sea Eagles, who rely on exerting scoreboard pressure.
Halves Keiran Foran and Daly Cherry-Evans ran the show in last year's decider; a repeat would be fatal to the home side's chances today.
