Ivan Cleary at his Wests Tigers unveiling.

Cleary was unveiled by the Tigers at a press conference this afternoon, admitting he had some big challenges ahead.

The job will start with the identification of what he described as “blockages in the program” which he said are coming through in what’s being delivered on the field.

Then the hard part ... repairing them.

“There’s clearly some blockages in the program here at the Wests Tigers and that’s coming out in the field at the moment,” Cleary said.

“The performance on the field, that’s what the whole club brings. Game day is the framework that the club is seen through and it’s fair to say at the moment that it needs to improve.”

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Cleary admitted that a big step towards improvement on the field would be ridding the club of the distractions, headlined by the ongoing negotiations with the club’s so-called ‘big four’ — Aaron Woods, James Tedesco, Mitchell Moses and Luke Brooks — who come off-contract at the end of this season.

The coach confirmed he would play a role in recruitment decisions at the club and encouraged the quartet to “be part of the journey” with him.

“I’ll have control of the football team, recruitment will be a collaborative process but the buck stops with me,” Cleary said.

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Flanked by Marina Go and Justin Pascoe, Ivan Cleary addresses the media.Source:News Corp Australia

“It’s something we’d like to sort out sooner rather than later ... What’s most important is those guys want to get on the bus and be part of the journey.”

Even if that journey has to start in reverse.

One of the reasons Cleary was picked as the man to replace Jason Taylor was his track record of taking over sides with potential and delivering success.

He took the Warriors to a grand final and the Panthers to within one game of the big dance and at both clubs he made some tough personnel decisions to shake things up.

Cleary alluded to that process when asked if the Tigers would have to take another backwards step before they could go forwards.

Ben Ikin, Nathan Ryan and Ben Glover break down where it’s all gone wrong for the Bulldogs and the roster moves they need to make to become premiership contenders again.

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“It’s a long year. I can’t answer that specifically because I don’t know,” he said, hinting at the fact that he hasn’t been long enough to understand the breadth of the problems.

Cleary confirmed he would work with the existing support staff rather than bringing in his own team but importantly he made it clear that the final calls on roster management would be down to him.

Asked what he thought about the halves his new club had put so much faith in, Cleary was reserved but the message was clear: I won’t let the club be held to ransom.

“Certainly they could add to the future of this club but again we’ve got to hope that they actually want to be part of this club and we hope that we can come to some arrangement,” Cleary said.

And just a few questions later, Cleary addressed the elephant in the room, his gun halfback son Nathan.

Although he’s several years younger than Brooks and Moses and has less NRL experience, the 19-year-old’s stunning rookie year and impressive start to 2017 have already put him on a steeper trajectory to the ‘elite’ category than both.

Luckily for the Tigers duo, the Penrith teenager is under contract for a couple more years yet, with his father making it clear there would be no funny business to prise him away.

“Nathan’s got a couple of more years contract with the Panthers, which I’m happy with and comfortable with,” Cleary said.

For those playing at home, that brings the halfback onto the market the year before Cleary the coach’s new Tigers deal elapses.

But that’s all to play out down the track and Cleary was keen to keep the focus on what he and the club can achieve in the here and now.

First up it’s arguably the toughest road trip in the game, with Cleary and his troops to board a plane bound for Townsville for a date with Johnathan Thurston and the Cowboys this Saturday night.

It will take the team out of the Sydney fish bowl and into an environment where they’re isolated but all in it together.

Where better to get them on the same page?

“It will actually be a good time to get up there and get away,” Cleary said.

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Originally published as Cleary tells big four to ‘get on the bus’