I want a coach that has played for Manly, has coached a team to a GF, has been able to inspire the team to perform even when the club has an unprecedented injury crisis and has been named coach of the year. If only such a man was available........oh wait.
From 2014
"Unlike previous Penrith teams which made a habit of falling away under a crisis, Ivan Cleary’s boys not only coped with the pressures, they rewrote the rules on how to survive an injury toll that saw up to 11 players unavailable, with amazing wins over Brisbane, Canterbury, North Queensland, New Zealand and the week one finals win over the defending premiers, the Sydney Roosters.
Along the way, the never-say-die Panthers captured the imagination of the public, culminating in an unlikely preliminary final appearance that had Panther fans daring to dream for the first team since 2003.
The success story masked one of the worst injury and suspension tolls in 2014. The Panthers were missing throughout the season David Simmons, Josh Mansour, Jamal Idris, Lewis Brown, Peter Wallace, Tyrone Peachey, Bryce Cartwright, Elijah Taylor, Brent Kite, James Segeyaro, Adam Docker, Jeremy Latimore and Tim Grant. Yet the team finished the regular season fourth, seeing Cleary awarded the Dally M Coach of the Year."
http://www.theroar.com.au/2014/10/07/penrith-panthers-just-rewards-hard-season/
From 2014
"Unlike previous Penrith teams which made a habit of falling away under a crisis, Ivan Cleary’s boys not only coped with the pressures, they rewrote the rules on how to survive an injury toll that saw up to 11 players unavailable, with amazing wins over Brisbane, Canterbury, North Queensland, New Zealand and the week one finals win over the defending premiers, the Sydney Roosters.
Along the way, the never-say-die Panthers captured the imagination of the public, culminating in an unlikely preliminary final appearance that had Panther fans daring to dream for the first team since 2003.
The success story masked one of the worst injury and suspension tolls in 2014. The Panthers were missing throughout the season David Simmons, Josh Mansour, Jamal Idris, Lewis Brown, Peter Wallace, Tyrone Peachey, Bryce Cartwright, Elijah Taylor, Brent Kite, James Segeyaro, Adam Docker, Jeremy Latimore and Tim Grant. Yet the team finished the regular season fourth, seeing Cleary awarded the Dally M Coach of the Year."
http://www.theroar.com.au/2014/10/07/penrith-panthers-just-rewards-hard-season/