Coaching Insider: Round 9

Wests Tigers Head Coach Ivan Cleary says while his side's recent results haven't gone according to plan, his side are still tracking along way in a fresh 2018 season.

Victorious in five of their opening six games, Cleary's men have suffered a slight dip in the past fortnight with two close defeats to the Knights and Eels, dropping them out of the top four for the first time all year.

However, despite the losses and a far-from-perfect performance on the field last week against Parramatta, Cleary said he was still extremely pleased with the progress his new-look side have made in 2018.

"We have rebooted in many respects," Cleary said in reflection on the year so far. 

"With all due respect to the past, we've got a completely new environment and we felt it was necessary to change a lot of things — basically everything, really.

"We're still very much in the infancy of that project and it's going to be a few years in the making.

"The whole idea is to create something that is sustainable. We've got some results out of that in the short term, which is good, and the boys are playing with a bit of confidence. Even in the last couple of weeks when we haven't got the wins, the boys know where we've gone wrong and that in itself is a good step."

Having already won once at Mount Smart Stadium in 2018, Cleary said playing in the doubleheader back in Round 5 was a hidden bonus for his side this weekend as they prepare to face the Warriors.

"I think having that night was actually a really good night for us," he enthused.

"Being able to understand the energy and the feeling of the stadium — it was an amazing night that night and we got a good win. So in that respect, it's just a little more familiar which helps."

See what Ivan Cleary had to say in full about this week's game in the video above!