Phil Gould will remain at the Penrith Panthers through to the end of 2017 in a deal which will allow him to finish a rebuilding job he started.
Gould has made a number of changes at the club with the biggest being signing coach Ivan Cleary from the New Zealand Warriors.
While the Panthers have missed out on some of their higher profile targets in the player market, the club have made a number of smart signings in the likes of Dean Whare, James Segeyaro and Kevin Naiqama.
Behind the scenes the club is a lot more stable and junior players at the club are valued, something that wasn’t happening before Gould arrived at the club.
The one black mark is the real lack of success on the field for the clubs NRL team. That needs to be turned around this season.
I’ve been critical of Gould at times, especially in regards to allowing Michael Jennings to leave the club, but it can not be denied that the club is in a better position now than it was when he joined the club as general manager.
That there will be one focus moving forward is a good thing. Even if it doesn’t end in Premiership success, at least the Panthers are moving in the right direction.
