New start: Wests Tigers signing Josh Reynolds is looking forward to being a leader. Credit:Getty Images Still, Reynolds had to ask the question. "What I took out of that first meeting was his honesty," the Tigers-bound five-eighth told Fairfax Media. "I wanted to know the direction the Tigers were heading because I had heard speculation about some players, whether they were staying or going. He was brutally honest and said, 'I've got no idea'. Most coaches would have led you on or suggested they would sign them – but he didn't paint a picture that wasn't true." The meeting with Cleary was all foreign to Reynolds. He didn't know what to do. Was unsure what questions to ask. He even rang his manager to ask what clothes he should wear.

For a man who envisaged his career would end where it started, negotiating with a rival club wasn't a notion he contemplated until this month. Reynolds knows his limitations. "I'm not a superstar – I know that for a fact," he admits. But it's that very attitude the Cleary demands from his players, because as the coach said during his first week in charge of the joint venture, "the star of the team is the team". "I know on paper and whatever everyone is saying about me, I'm that supposed marquee man or whatever," Reynolds said. "But I actually read something that Ivan came out with the other day – 'the big 17'. That really caught my eye. I know it's not going to be a team that relies on one person ... They're putting faith in me and I'm really thankful for that, but I'm not a superstar, mate. I'm a team player. If I can play my game to make other people play better, I'll feel I'm doing my job then. Ivan said to me 'if you were to come to the Tigers, I'd really just need you to be Josh Reynolds. I don't need you to change and be someone who you're not'. I really loved that.

"I feel I bring some real different things to a team that other five-eighths wouldn't do. It's pretty obvious that I'm not the silkiest or classiest player but I know I can bring other things to a team. Hopefully bring team morale up, always be in the game and always be energetic. For him to say that, it probably made me a bit more comfortable in my own skin. He wasn't really trying to sell this fake illusion of something it might not be. I was really impressed with him the first time I met him for those reasons." Don't mistake Reynolds' reluctance to leave Belmore as a reflection of his attitude towards the Tigers. Granted, he didn't want to leave. But he also finds it hard to contain his excitment about the prospect of being the focal point of a cultural change that has the potential to deliver something special at the Wests Tigers. Reynolds also spoke with Shane Flanagan about joining Cronulla. But it was Cleary's advice that convinced him the Tigers were the best fit for his career. "Ivan spoke about the difference between the clubs," Reynolds said.

"He told me: 'Cronulla have lots of senior players and just won a comp – so you'll fit in really easy. Or you can come here and take on a bit of a different challenge and come here as the older bloke and help the younger guys'. In the end I think that may have got me over the line. "I feel in life you should always challenge yourself. I know it's going to be a hard challenge with a new roster there, but I want to bring what I've brought to the Bulldogs my whole career to that club. It's really exciting times. I think they are really heading in the right direction and Ivan is going to be great for the club." The first pieces of the puzzle are starting to come together for the Wests Tigers. Mitchell Moses, James Tedesco and Aaron Woods are headed for the exit doors. Ben Matulino and Chris McQueen are on their way to Tiger Town, and their halves for at least 2018 and 2019 will be Reynolds and Luke Brooks.

"There was plenty of hype around him when he was young," Reynolds said of his future halves partner. "I actually felt a bit sorry for him because people were comparing him to 'Joey' Johns because he's the same build. That's hard on the kid. I think he's done a great job and hopefully I can go there and let him run the show. He's been there. It's his team. I just want to be there and help him in any way I can. You obviously think about if you'll have a good combination and I think we can really work. If he just gets really confident, I feel he's going to be a really, really good player. "I haven't spoken to him about me coming. I feel it's not appropriate to talk to any of the players just yet because my main focus this year is 115 per cent at the Dogs. I'll probably have a talk to a few of them when it gets a bit closer and say 'I just want to fit in here'. I'm not going to go there and think I'm the man, because that's just not in my nature." In Cleary's initial meetings with Tigers powerbrokers before accepting the top job, he had reservations given the relentless criticism of the club's administration and board. Even chairperson Marina Go admitted Cleary must have thought she was a moron from some of the things being said about her.

Basket case, rabble ... Reynolds had heard the same things. But the former Origin winner insists he didn't let the outside noise influence his decision. "From the outside looking in, a lot of things often don't look as bad as they seem," he said. "For me, I've always judged a person – and in this case a club – on how they've treated me. For them to go out on a limb and say to me 'we want you to come here and be a leader', I really like that. "Whatever I hear from other people and their opinions on the club, I really tend to put them to the side – I keep them in mind – but if someone treats me good, I'm going to treat them good. I'll make my own assumptions when I get there, and I'm sure it's going to be great." With Reynolds, the Tigers know what they will get.