Did he hop off the bus and step into oncoming traffic?
He has a decent looking team on his hands, he's stepped into a ready made side that is a genuine contender which is unfamiliar territory for Ivan and expectations are now high at the foot of the mountain. Anything less than finishing firmly inside the top eight will be a failure for Ivan and the Panthers.
Will the father-son thing work?
I feel the Panthers are expecting results quickly after what went down with Hook last season and if they drop a few games in a row Ivan could really feel the pressure.
If Nathan doesn't fire also I feel the constant media attention and father-son questions could become a distraction which could add even more pressure.
It will be interesting to see how Nathan's teammates handle the fact that the Origin playmaker's daddy is his coach, he could be isolated from any conversation regarding Ivan's coaching in fear it might get back to Ivan through Nathan, these things could turn into big headaches for Ivan, Nathan and the Panthers if not managed carefully.
Ivan might begin to wish he'd stayed on the bus.
Will we see the Knights of the glory days return?
Brown is in a similar position to Cleary in that it looks like he's got a squad capable of doing anything this year, a club on the rise who have recruited well.
Has Brown made the right decision moving Ponga?
Brown really hasn't had much expectation on him at Newcastle with the roster he's been dealt over the last few seasons, this year it's a different ball game however, the heat is on!
Newcastle fans have every right to expect a big 2019, I'm sure Brown will feel that expectation heavily.
Can he get the Eels off the bottom of the table?
They've made some changes, the king is back but I'm not sure how much will change at the Eels in 2019.
Parra fans are pretty passionate, but are they patient enough if they have to endure another 2018?
I feel they'll struggle again, especially with their new spine which is going to take time to click.
But time is what Parra and Brad Arthur won't have in 2019.
If they don't get off to a flying start Brad Arthur could feel as if time is running out fast.
Can he break the curse?
Habits are hard to break and it seems the Dragons have developed a bad one over the last few seasons.
Will Mary have to call for the Witch Doctor?
Mary is obviously we'll aware of this and has come under scrutiny regarding his pre-season workload on his players which is said to be a factor in why the Red V seem to hit the wall towards the hot end of the season.
It will be interesting to see where the Dragons sit after 6-8 weeks, if they are flying early no doubt the Dragons fans will start to get deja vu.
The pressure of not repeating previous seasons will weigh on Mary heavily approaching that time of year when the Dragons have struggled.
How sticky is Sticky?
Ricky might have to start making some big decisions soon. The Raiders have got rid of the big boppers and seem to be transitioning from a power team to a more mobile unit.
Can they adapt quickly?
Their entire game will need to change, they have a new look spine and are experimenting with a fullback shifting to a half, (the opposite of what's happening at the Dragons).
Stuart has had issues in the halves and it looks like they might be set to continue, just like Brown's experiment with Kalyn Ponga shifting to the 6 jersey, the shift of Jack Wighton and how him and Aidan Sezer work as halves will be vital for how Ricky's Raiders go this year.
They have a gun 9 but just like Parra they have basically a new spine that will need to come together quickly or they might start feeling the heat in Canberra early.
The Raiders feel like they're on the slide, their halves will be under enormous pressure and I think Ricky will be too.