Reds could look to Michael Foley to revive a team playing like a rabble
I've always had a lot of time for Mark Ella as a rugby player....BUT.........
Am I the only one who finds the tone of this article REALLY condescending and offensive??? :S :S :S
ps Luke Morahan joined because Michael Foley was at the WF. This is his first season.
MICHAEL Foley to coach the Queensland Reds?
Mark Ella
The Australian
May 17, 2014
It’s not as fanciful as it sounds when you consider that Foley has done a wonderful job reviving the Western Force this year, putting them in contention to reach the Super Rugby playoffs for the first time in their nine-year history.
Of course, Foley replaced Richard Graham, who was poached by the Reds from the Force as part of Ewen McKenzie’s transition out of Ballymore after McKenzie guided them to their maiden Super Rugby title in 2011.
The contrast between what Foley has done at the Force and what Graham is now doing at the Reds could not be starker.
Foley inherited a Force squad with just six Wallabies — Pek Cowan, Nick Cummins, Matt Hodgson, Ben McCalman, Hugh McMeniman and Luke Morahan — although it must be noted that a generous foreign-player quota has helped him land former All Blacks half-back Alby Mathewson and South Africans Sias Ebersohn, Brynard Stander and Wilhelm Steenkamp.
It is certainly not the most talented squad in Super Rugby, let alone the Australian conference, but the Force are in many ways like the Brumbies under Jake White, in that they are playing simple but effective rugby, maximising their strengths and minimising their weaknesses.
Even more importantly, every Force player appears to be on the same page, which is crucial for teamwork and cohesion and finally, after many years, they believe in themselves and what they are playing for.
Foley appears to have developed a strong working relationship with Hodgson, the Force captain, who is playing the best rugby of his career at the age of 32 and must surely be in the running for a spot in the Wallabies squad.
Compare this to the Reds, who have 18 Wallabies — Quade Cooper, Ben Daley, Rod Davies, Anthony Faingaa, Saia Faingaa, Chris Feauai-Sautia, Will Genia, Liam Gill, James Horwill, Mike Harris, Greg Holmes, James Hanson, Beau Robinson, Dom Shipperley, Rob Simmons, James Slipper, Ben Tapuai and Lachie Turner — including two Test captains in Horwill and Genia.
Despite this wealth of talent, the Reds are playing like a rabble and they are going backwards, losing their past five matches.
There has been speculation in the media that Graham has lost the dressing-room. Usually, when this happens a coach is history.
But Graham is well connected politically in Queensland and my guess is he will survive no matter how badly the Reds go this year.
I almost fell off my chair laughing when I read a quote from a Queensland official the other day that said all they needed was another three or four world-class players to be a championship-winning team again. I would have thought that is what most teams need.
The Reds will probably give Graham the opportunity to rebuild the team in his own image rather than the squad he inherited from McKenzie, but it will be interesting to see how long their patience lasts, especially if players start to leave.
The Reds are bringing wayward Wallaby James O’Connor back from overseas, but will that be enough to arrest the slide?
A former Reds hooker, Foley also has powerful friends in Queensland and even though he won’t admit it, he must surely crave to return to where it all started for him.
If he can keep the Force a competitive outfit, his spectre will no doubt haunt Graham, particularly in an elite sport where results are all that matters.
This weekend’s round of Super Rugby could be pivotal in deciding the long-term future of the Force and the Reds.
If Foley can guide the Force to a win against the lowly placed Stormers in Cape Town tomorrow morning, they will go close to securing a place in the top six.
Conversely, if the Reds lose to the Melbourne Rebels in Brisbane tonight, they may well finish on the bottom of the Australian conference and the drums will once again start beating louder at Ballymore.
Would the Reds poach a coach for the Force?
Well, we all know that they have done it before.
That’s the thing about precedents. When something has happened once it is likely to happen again simply because it has happened before. I’m not saying it is going to happen, but it is certainly an intriguing prospect.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/spor...-1226920807598
