Tim Grant knows Ivan Cleary better than most at the Wests Tigers.
Cleary coached the former NSW representative for three seasons at Penrith, and the pair even walked the Kokoda Track together in 2014 alongside Jamie Soward and Justin Pascoe, now the Tigers' chief executive.
But now the prop is ready to embark on a far longer journey with Clearly to try and rebuild the Wests Tigers.
Cleary faces the biggest challenge of his career at the merged club. Having previously turned around the problematic Warriors and Panthers, fixing the mess at Concord now looms large but Grant believes Cleary's unique approach is precisely what the Tigers need.
"He's very calm," Grant said. "I really think that's really beneficial for us at the Tigers. In the past we've really drifted in and out of games on the back of emotion, riding the rollercoaster."
Cleary took his first training sessions with the Tigers on Wednesday.
The club's players each walked away pointing to that calmness despite the off-field situation that is likely to continue to trouble the Tigers in coming weeks.
Not much of the Tigers' style is expected to change in the opening weeks under Cleary, or in this Saturday's clash with North Queensland in Townsville.
The new coach would rather sit back and assess the situation before deciding if and when drastic changes are needed. It is in the club's - and its players' - long-term futures that Grant believes Cleary can have the biggest influence.
"He's great with bringing on young talent," Grant said, pointing to the likes of Matt Moylan at Penrith.
"Guys in our squad you think are senior players are still yet to play 100 games. Ivan coming in now, the timing is perfect for them.
"He can really bring them on and take them to the next level."
Grant, who played two matches in the front row for the Blues in the 2012 Origin series, was exiled by Cleary two years later.
He was dropped to reserve grade and eventually released mid-contract to South Sydney as the coach attempted to build the Panthers for the future.
Grant said he had moved on from that time, and pointed to it as a reason why Cleary would be strong in making the off-field choices in regards to the Tigers' cluttered roster.
"The contract structure that I had at the time wasn't the best for the club and I've moved on from it," Grant said.
"It was the right decision, look at the Panthers now."
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