Panthers fire Cleary

I was 99% sure we were going to pick up Hook after Potter got the arse.

Beast From The Big East wrote:

but has Clearly actually coached badly to warrant cutting him loose on the basis of results/culture??? He was brought in with a 5 year plan which stemmed a lot from bringing in juniors and young players with the rest experienced players who wouldn't cost an arm and a leg. He has built one of the more well rounded squads despite not having a legitimate superstar and has unearthed one of the best young players in the game. Took them to a prelim final when no body rated them, and despite one of the worst injury records to key players they still actually looked decent and played well for the most part this year.

Of course this is harsh, Cleary has been superb IMO but Griffin didn't deserve it either at the Broncos and let's face it the proof is in the pudding.

The other example is the Titans who persisted with Carty 'also doing nothing wrong' on the back of a long term plan when in hindsight they should have cut their losses and started afresh earlier than they did.

As I said, I like Cleary as a coach and whilst this seems harsh, without being a part of the inner sanctum I can't argue with Gus's reasoning i.e. Cleary didn't appear up to it anymore and it was time for a change.

Keep hearing 5 year plan. He's been there 4. The culture the juniour progression should all be in place. He only has 1 year left. If year 3 wasn't a flash in the pan where they got lucky then the effect of the injury toll shouldn't have been so great because everything else was in pllace. It wasn't they crashed and burnt, not just under performed on the back of a heavy injury toll. He wasn't going to make a difference in his final year and everything magically fall into place. It's a business, why waste a year. Move him on now and start the new regime.

Oz Sport Mad wrote:

Of course this is harsh, Cleary has been superb IMO but Griffin didn't deserve it either at the Broncos and let's face it the proof is in the pudding.

The other example is the Titans who persisted with Carty 'also doing nothing wrong' on the back of a long term plan when in hindsight they should have cut their losses and started afresh earlier than they did.

As I said, I like Cleary as a coach and whilst this seems harsh, without being a part of the inner sanctum I can't argue with Gus's reasoning i.e. Cleary didn't appear up to it anymore and it was time for a change.

Cartwright didn't have success though and really neither did Griffin at the Broncos. Cleary came to the Panthers after years of actual success at the Warriors which is something that not many other coaches have been able to say. His few years were arguably the best period the club had ever have and reached its peak when he took them to the grand final. He brought through many juniors who ended up paying off for him and on that basis was viewed as a coach who despite not being in the Bellamy/Bennett tier was definitely in the middle-upper tier and was seen as someone who could have success bringing through a young side if you gave him the time. For once it sounded like a a club was actually willing to put in some work rather than expect immediate results which was refreshing.

Once again he changes the club round and despite given no chance at the start of the season takes them to within a game of the grandfinal and most people's fairytale team for the year unless you were on the Bunnies for the title bandwagon. He has a year from hell with injuries to key players yet they are still able to be relatively competitive and produce quality football.

Dumb decision from the Panthers. Likely he will either go back to the Warriors where I hope he will succeed, or I think he may end up at the Tigers and I would be very interesting to see how he goes there if the Tigers board sort themselves out and give him time to build his team.

Griffin is an out of left field appointment, Panthers have some exciting players & Hook's gameplans are about as far from exciting as it gets, not to mention he couldn't figure out how to use interchange before & now he's got even less to work with...

Might be a bit of a conspiracy theory, but given the unending praise Gus was giving the Broncos during the finals series, maybe he sees Hook as a way to get to our guys that developed from 20's right though to 1st grade with him.

surmo13 wrote:Griffin is an out of left field appointment, Panthers have some exciting players & Hook's gameplans are about as far from exciting as it gets, not to mention he couldn't figure out how to use interchange before & now he's got even less to work with...

Might be a bit of a conspiracy theory, but given the unending praise Gus was giving the Broncos during the finals series, maybe he sees Hook as a way to get to our guys that developed from 20's right though to 1st grade with him.

Gus just want a pushover coach who'll do as he's told

Gus doesn't want to be the fall guy. He's fired Elliot, then Cleary, and how long until Griffin. Every time I saw them play this year at home it looked like they had poor crowds, the season after they made the prelim final. Sure they've got some good young players, but realistically Moylan, DWZ and Cartwright are the only ones who look like they could be 10 year rep players IMO. The others are handy, but nothing special. Cleary got the best out of players past their prime like Soward and Wallace. I can't see Griffin doing that. After 5 years they will have poor crowds, be no closer to a premiership, be losing corporate support all under Gould's watch, and according to him it will be because the coaches couldn't coach and the NRL didn't provide enough support to western Sydney compared to QLD teams. He'll resign and I t'll be everyone's fault except his. Obviously the club won't have been ready for his style of genius. Just ask him. He may then return to coach NSW after JT, Smith, Cronk, Parker, Myles and Slater retire.

To clarify, Segeyaro and Merrin are good players as well, but certainly not products of the system.

I will say only one thing about Cleary as a coach, "when considering your footy tips, serious consideration must be given to the side he coaches."
Can you say the same thing about a side coached by Anthony Griffin?

Lebbo73 wrote:I will say only one thing about Cleary as a coach, "when considering your footy tips, serious consideration must be given to the side he coaches."
Can you say the same thing about a side coached by Anthony Griffin?

Sure: as long as it's serious thought to NOT picking them.

OK, I'll give Hook a pass for his efforts at the broncos. It was post-Lockyer, and the team lacked (IMHO) identity.

People forget he had some serious creds for his junior squads over the years. I know I tend to gloss over them, due to his ****house performance in the seniors.

SO: whilst I'm not seeing it: he could do well down south. Good luck to him if he does: it's not like he's hated, like a Sticky or that bone-headed recent ex-Aus coach....

Cleary isn't as good as people make out. His results don't match the accolades. Being the first coach to get the Warriors to the GF, what else ??? Finished top 8 about 3 times in his career ? The year the warriors made the GF they finished 6 with a record a little better than half. The other years they finished with a record worse than 50%. The myth he brought consistency and professionalism to the warriors is exactly that ...... a myth. In 4 years at the Panthers, same story. 1 top 8 finish, the rest a winning percentage less than 50%.