I like Cappy McFadden, but I'd take Ivan Cleary back in a heart beat. Always would have. The Warriors had this mythical nonsensical idea about Ivan not being good enough to win a grand final, and that they needed to change to get the next step. In a round about way, that decision has cost the Warriors plenty financially in paying out coaches, and it has led to the CEO essentially being forced into an untenable decision.
I'm super glad for Ivan. And, I hope he gets his premiership here this year or next. He's doing exactly what he did for the Warriors. Putting in key players along with establishing excellent junior pathways. I have hated for the past 2-3 months the media essentially writing you blokes off saying you don't have a genuine superstar - guess what, Parramatta does, and guess what, they didn't even make the 8. If I was putting together a team from scratch, say a fantasy draft, I'd be looking really closely at Moylan, Cartwright, Peachey, Segeyaro, Mansour. Thats the thing with Ivan, he is par excellence in terms of identifying which players are on the up and which players need to be moved on. This is why guys like Jeremy Latimore, Lewis Brown, Elijah Taylor, Matt Robinson all went with him. Because they know that a coach like Ivan puts together a chellenging environment and the right systems and structures to get you to your best.
I seriously am on your bandwagon, and hope like heck Penrith win the title and Ivan gets his first premiership. IMO he's Origin quality at least as far as coaching goes. He had one howler of a year with the Warriors, 2009, but lets not forget, young Sonny Fai was tragically taken from this world during that off season and I don't think the Warriors or any club could cope particularly well with that. Especially since his body was never found, so there was no closure for anyone.
).
