| Personal information | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | 1 March 1971 Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
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| Playing information | ||||||
| Height | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) | |||||
| Weight | 89 kg (14 st 0 lb) | |||||
| Position | Fullback, Centre | |||||
| Club | ||||||
| Years | Team | Pld | T | G | FG | P |
| 1992–93 | Manly-Warringah | 15 | 8 | 50 | 0 | 132 |
| 1994–95 | North Sydney | 37 | 15 | 5 | 0 | 70 |
| 1996–99 | Sydney City | 81 | 29 | 303 | 0 | 722 |
| 2000–02 | NZ Warriors | 53 | 11 | 195 | 1 | 439 |
| Total | 186 | 63 | 553 | 1 | 1363 | |
| Coaching information | ||||||
| Club | ||||||
| Years | Team | Gms | W | D | L | W% |
| 2006–11 | NZ Warriors | 137 | 68 | 3 | 66 | 50 |
| 2012– | Penrith Panthers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 137 | 68 | 3 | 66 | 50 | |
| Source: RLP | ||||||
Ivan Cleary (born 1 March 1971) is an Australian rugby league football coach and former player. He is the current head coach of the Penrith Panthers of the National Rugby League and former head coach of the New Zealand Warriors where he achieved much success. As a player, Cleary was a goal-kicking fullback who played club football in Australia and New Zealand, setting a new record for most points scored in a season during the 1998 NRL Premiership.
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Cleary grew up in the Northern Sydney suburb of Dee Why. He started his football career with the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles before moving to the North Sydney Bears and later the Roosters. A goal-kicking fullback, while playing for the Roosters in 1998, Cleary was the competition's leading point scorer with 284 points, breaking the record set by Mick Cronin in 1978.
Cleary finished his playing career with the New Zealand Warriors. His last match was the 2002 National Rugby League grand final for the Warriors, which was lost to the Roosters. He retired as the Warriors' all-time top points scorer.
After leaving the Warriors Cleary originally intended to join the Huddersfield Giants in the European Super League but instead retired to take up an opportunity to join the Sydney Roosters as the NSWRL Premier League coach.[1] In 2004 he coached the team to the Premiership.
In 2005 Cleary re-joined the Warriors as an Assistant coach to Tony Kemp. Before the 2006 NRL season Cleary replaced Kemp as the Warriors' head coach.
In 2008 Cleary coached the Warriors to the 2008 playoffs, qualifying in 8th place, meaning they had to front up against the first-placed Melbourne Storm at Olympic Park in the first week of the playoffs. A near impossible task as the Storm had only lost 2 matches at this venue in 3 seasons (one to the Warriors in 2006), and since the McIntyre System was introduced in 1999 no 8th placed team had ever beaten the 1st placed team. After a tense and close battle, The Warriors produced one of the biggest upsets since 1999 by beating the Storm 18-15 with a 78th minute try to Michael Witt. This was by far the biggest success of Ivan Cleary's coaching career so far. This gave them a home Semi Final against the Sydney Roosters. A pro-crowd of 25,585 turned up to Mt. Smart to see the Warriors win 30-13 (thus partially avenging the 2002 Grand Final loss). This gave them a Preliminary Final against the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles in Sydney. Unfortunately for the Warriors, Manly won through to the Grand Final 32-6, ending the Warriors season.
The 2009 season was Cleary's worst season at the club, with the Warriors recording a lowly 14th place finish at the end of the season, just ahead of Cronulla and the Sydney Roosters. But by 2010, the Warriors were back in the finals, finishing 5th at the end of the regular season. This saw the Warriors assigned a tough away final on the Gold Coast against the Gold Coast Titans. The Warriors lost 28-16, but due to other unfavourable results occurring on the weekend, the Warriors were eliminated from the finals race.
After he was released from the final year of his Warriors contract, on 29 June 2011 Cleary was signed by the Penrith Panthers' newly-appointed football manager Phil Gould, who was Cleary's coach when he played for the Roosters, to a three year deal starting in 2012.
The Warriors then, in their final season under Cleary, defied the odds to reach the 2011 NRL grand final. He left the club with the record for its longest serving coach.
Panthers football operations manager Phil Gould cited Cleary's ability with developing junior players as a reason for bringing him to Penrith in 2012.
| Preceded by Tony Kemp |
Coach New Zealand Warriors 2006-2011 |
Succeeded by Brian McClennan |
| Preceded by Mick Cronin |
Record-holder Most points in an NRL season 1998-2004 |
Succeeded by Hazem El-Masri |
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