BY CURTIS WOODWARD

New Wests Tigers coach Ivan Cleary says the embattled club has “potential” and can’t wait to begin improving the 1-4 club.

Cleary is no stranger to rebuilding teams after previously working at the New Zealand Warriors and Penrith Panthers.

The Warriors reached the 2011 grand final under his guidance while he had a big hand in the Panthers we see today.

“This is a great opportunity to join a Club with a lot of potential,” said Cleary.

“I look forward to getting to work with the playing group and coaching staff.

“The Wests Tigers are a huge brand with a strong membership base and a lot of supporters and I look forward to getting stuck in over the coming weeks,” he said.

“Day one is today and from here we start working on improving, we’ll do a lot of exploring and analysis on how things work at Wests Tigers and how the people within the club work.

“We need to decide as a group what we want to be and go about achieving this.

“I can’t wait to get to work here.

“It’s no secret that I’ve missed it, this is a fresh start for me and I’m committed to seeing this club reach its potential and to be the success that I know it can be.”

The Wests Tigers parted ways with previous coach Jason Taylor after back-to-back floggings in rounds two and three. Interim coach Andrew Webster then took control but suffered two more losses.

CEO Justin Pascoe was confident they had hired the right man.

“In all of my dealings with Ivan he’s shown himself to be an incredibly professional individual with a real passion for the game,” he said.

Pascoe also thanked Webster during the transition.

“I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Andrew Webster for the way that he carried himself over the last few weeks,” said Pascoe.

“He did a terrific job during a difficult time, with the way that he conducted himself a true demonstration of his character.”

This will be Cleary’s toughest assignment yet despite a public perception Wests Tigers boast a “big four”. In reality, Cleary has Aaron Woods and James Tedesco to base a side around. The jury is still out on Mitch Moses and Luke Brooks.

Another immediate headache for the new coach is the negotiation of contracts with Woods, Tedesco, Moses and Brooks who are yet to recommit to the franchise.

@woodward_curtis