Phil Mooney survives but Reds sack three

[travelling_gerry]

Bret Harris | June 18, 2009

Article from: The Australian

QUEENSLAND Reds high performance manager Ben Whitaker is the latest casualty of the struggling Super 14 franchise's end of season review.

Whitaker has endured a plethora of criticism for his role in recruitment and retention.

The Reds missed out on the signatures of Wallabies Rocky Elsom, Drew Mitchell and Richard Brown while Test inside centre Berrick Barnes has failed to pledge his long-term future to the team.

Reds forwards coach Mark Bell and team manager Brendan Morris were yesterday chopped from the inner circle of head coach Phil Mooney, whose backs coach Damon Emtage has survived for the moment.

Reds chairman Peter Lewis has pledged his support to Mooney for next season.

The Reds feel that they have suffered from lack of stability in the head coaching role with Mooney's predecessor, Eddie Jones lasting just one season after the sacking of Jeff Miller in 2006.

The sackings of Whitaker, Bell and Morris is unlikely to be the end of the restructuring with former Test coach and long-time Reds coach John Connolly poised to return.

Lewis has been constant contact with Sunshine Coast-based Connolly, who will most likely be appointed director of coaching.

Meanwhile former All Black loose forward Daniel Braid has re-signed for another season after an achilles tendon rupture scuttled his move to a Welsh club.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au...015651,00.html

[Burgs]

Crikey, the manure is hitting the rotor there!
Knuckles to be a Director of Rugby type role over Mooney perhaps?
Doesn't really say.
Reading betwean the lines I would think Mooney should be grateful for the previous turnover of Coaches, may be the only thing saving him at the moment?

[AndyS]

Any idea what it means when the link to that article on The Australian site is entitled "Mooney survives, but staff goes west"?

[TOCC]

Crikey, the manure is hitting the rotor there!
Knuckles to be a Director of Rugby type role over Mooney perhaps?
Doesn't really say.
Reading betwean the lines I would think Mooney should be grateful for the previous turnover of Coaches, may be the only thing saving him at the moment?

this is hardly suprising considering it was revealed that the Reds were undergoing a review...

Bell's time was up, the reds forwards just werent making the progress required or expected, Holmes has regressed and the others had plateud so it was obvious something was amiss there.

Morris, well he was a team manager and im not really sure what he did, quite possible his sacking is just in line with cutting costs.

Whitaker, well it appeared as though the guy tried hard, but there were reports of the Reds messing up come contract time and considering he was the guy in the drivers seat it only makes sense.

John Connoly would be brought in as a director of Reds Rugby Operations, so he filling the role of Whitaker whilst assuming somewhat control of the Reds with Mooney remaining coach.

Its a positive step, seems as though they are actually making a real effort to try and seperate the QRU operations from the Reds which is required for a professional team.

[AndyS]

So any news on what Berrick thinks of the new regime?

[Working Class]

If Barnes doesn't agree with it I'd put money on him only agreeing to a one year contract. If that's the case we may be looking at the Captain and 5/8 of the Melbourne based Vic team in 2011.

[tic]

or the Gold Coast based team.

Berrick won't move.

[TOCC]

Mooney has stood by his decision to sack Bell, he said it was a required step for the team to move forward..

Apparrently the players had quite a lot of input into the review, so its probable that the players thoguht that Bell was coaching them to the required standard, i think that was evident to everyone watching.

Anyway Ioane is set to re-sign with QLD in the next few days and Barnes is expected to follow suit, which means that QLD has retained all there stars minus McMenimen..

McMenimen is a possibilty to play next year for QLD anyway, whilst i think he is a loss he was injury prone and has missed quite a lot of matches the last few years.