Reds Creating Something Special?

[Set piece magic]

Over the past week, something has changed in Qld. Everyone's attitude, well not us here on GAGR, but rather the general public, seem to be heavily interested in rugby. I hear about the Reds all the time now. Friends, family, you name it. Catch up with an old friend from primary school, inevitably the Reds comes up. What about Radike eh? He's just having a bit of fun, enjoying himself, loved his big hits on Sunday arvo.

The five pages of courier mail sport on Sunday, Reds consistantly getting in ahead of all AFL on seven news (yes I turn it on at 6.18 to see who's on Sport), and even getting coverage on nine...

Then, come Sunday afternoon, 48,302 people show up to Lang park to see a great game of end to end rugby with every piece of rugby involved, an intensely dynamic game played the way it should be. In the same week that the state goes State of Origin mad and then Double Header mad, your joking right?

I was thinking on the train home... Why now? Why Is more than just rugby people interested now? And I thought back to the years surrounding 2000. The Wallabies get sell out's to pretty much every game they play. There is a menacing support for them, playing attractive invincible rugby. But how is that diferent to the Wallabies of 2010, who's attractive rugby was incredible, whilst only losing a few?

Then I realized your answer: The All Blacks. We hate losing to them. And we love winning. And that Crusader's team is made up of All Blacks, McCaw, Carter, Reid, ect. Big Names known to your average household.

And the whole of QLD knows we just beat their lynchpins. And now their thinking we can beat the All Blacks.

Stuart Dickinson may be a gumby at times but he might have just started something up here. There were 111 comments on the Reds bt. Crusaders, more than almost any other sports story this week. And I realized. The Fair weather supporters of rugby that fucked off at the end of 2003 are back. In Queensland they are, definately not NSW. The man across from me was talking to his wife about the next game, had no idea when it was. He was not a leaguie. Said it was so worth coming and they're coming again. Totally new to the Reds It would seem, or hadn't been out for a long, long time. Are we about to see something special, the disease catch on throughout QLD?

And if the Wallabies win the Cup this year, will this disease suddenly go national?

 

[Slim 293]

Winning a World Cup will definitely boost the game's profile in this country...

However, I don't have much confidence in the ARU being able to capitalise on such a success...

 

[Bonesy]

It's a good time to be a Reds fan after all the lean years. Ewen McKenzie is a genius.

 

[Riptide]

I know there has been a lot of man love for McKenzie, but jeez he is worth every awkward exclamation of adoration. The Reds have been brutal for years, and setting Genia and Higgs aside, there is probably no other player on the Reds that the Crusaders would select in a starting XV if their squad was healthy. The coaching staff of the Reds doesnt get enough wraps, and the fans are flocking to them. Players are stepping up, enjoying themselves and contributing at the community level as well. Link has done a superb job and he hasnt had to pull any stupid McQueen like stunts to inculcate a winning culture.

 

[Jets]

I think the great thing about the Reds coaching structure is how few people are involved. Link runs the show and looks after the forwards, Jim McKay (biggest unsung hero in Australian rugby) looks after the backs, Matt Taylor is in charge of defense and Alec Evens does a bit of scrum work. They also have Damien Marsh who is arguably the best rugby strength and conditioning coach in the country, gee the Brumbies miss him. They all seem like a very tight knit unit.

I think the advantage of this set up is that the message that they are trying to deliver is very clear. They all know exactly what their job is and so do the players. They also seem to sit very happily in their roles. I don't think the assistants have any interest in becoming head coaches anywhere else soon. They are so focused on the job at hand that they are enthusiastic to keep doing it.

As for the playing group I look back at the Reds squads from the last 10 years and they aren't that much better in terms of raw talent in my view, it is just that this group seem to be the first one in a long time to be focused on the team plan and the Reds success. I'm not having a go at past players as I believe that they all wanted the team to succeed it is just this group are all on the same page. I don't think some of the previous coaches were capable of bringing a group together with a common goal and a definite direction.

 

[Ruggo]

I think the great thing about the Reds coaching structure is how few people are involved. Link runs the show and looks after the forwards, Jim McKay (biggest unsung hero in Australian rugby) looks after the backs, Matt Taylor is in charge of defense and Alec Evens does a bit of scrum work. They also have Damien Marsh who is arguably the best rugby strength and conditioning coach in the country, gee the Brumbies miss him. They all seem like a very tight knit unit.

I think the advantage of this set up is that the message that they are trying to deliver is very clear. They all know exactly what their job is and so do the players. They also seem to sit very happily in their roles. I don't think the assistants have any interest in becoming head coaches anywhere else soon. They are so focused on the job at hand that they are enthusiastic to keep doing it.

As for the playing group I look back at the Reds squads from the last 10 years and they aren't that much better in terms of raw talent in my view, it is just that this group seem to be the first one in a long time to be focused on the team plan and the Reds success. I'm not having a go at past players as I believe that they all wanted the team to succeed it is just this group are all on the same page. I don't think some of the previous coaches were capable of bringing a group together with a common goal and a definite direction.

I think the catalyst for all this has come from above at the boardroom level. I totally agree with everything you have said and it is because the suits at the management level have given the support and freedom to those below to reform things without having a dagger driven into their backs. I truly think Phil Mooney was on this path but did not get this level of support from above and was knifed in the back. The comraderie in the whole organisation is just bloody impressive. Jim Carmichael is the unsung hero in all of this for mine though it has truly been a team effort.

 

[RedsHappy]

I think the catalyst for all this has come from above at the boardroom level. I totally agree with everything you have said and it is because the suits at the management level have given the support and freedom to those below to reform things without having a dagger driven into their backs. I truly think Phil Mooney was on this path but did not get this level of support from above and was knifed in the back. The comraderie in the whole organisation is just bloody impressive. Jim Carmichael is the unsung hero in all of this for mine though it has truly been a team effort.

Ruggo, 100% (except for mine only 20% re Mooney as I think he had his own flaws). And Link often refers to the positives of the 'top 3' of McCall, Carmichael, himself, as strongly united as to goals and vision, etc and I sense he compares this situation most favourably to his experiences in both Sydney and Paris.

 

[Slim 293]

I know there has been a lot of man love for McKenzie, but jeez he is worth every awkward exclamation of adoration. The Reds have been brutal for years, and setting Genia and Higgs aside, there is probably no other player on the Reds that the Crusaders would select in a starting XV if their squad was healthy. The coaching staff of the Reds doesnt get enough wraps, and the fans are flocking to them. Players are stepping up, enjoying themselves and contributing at the community level as well. Link has done a superb job and he hasnt had to pull any stupid McQueen like stunts to inculcate a winning culture.

Holy shit, did Macqueen fuck your sister?

What is your beef?!

 

[Blue]

Stuart Dickinson may be a gumby at times but he might have just started something up here.

Definitely deserves a bronze life size statue to be erected at the entrance to Suncorp.

"Daddy, who is that statue man?"
"Ah my son, now that's a long story."

 

[RedsHappy]

.... The Fair weather supporters of rugby that fucked off at the end of 2003 are back. In Queensland they are, definately not NSW. The man across from me was talking to his wife about the next game, had no idea when it was. He was not a leaguie. Said it was so worth coming and they're coming again. Totally new to the Reds It would seem, or hadn't been out for a long, long time. Are we about to see something special, the disease catch on throughout QLD? ....And if the Wallabies win the Cup this year, will this disease suddenly go national?

Spikhaza: I know what you are getting at overall and really I enjoy your posts, but I don't agree with this sort of language re fans - 'fair weather supporters that fucked off...' - for fee-paying people whom, once, however long ago, wilfully gave up paying their $s and coming along to games. Their departure is our loss, ultimately, the fans are the funders of the whole enterprise. The customers depart, the business (in time) collapses.

IMO, one of rugby's core problems in Australia is a kind of buried core belief that 'those who know a lot, know better than those that just enjoy to watch'. The reasons fans leave a code or a team en mass is the fault of either (a) the way the game is being delivered on the grass and/or (b) the way the game is surrounded for fan-enjoyment in terms of transport, stadia facilities, atmosphere, food, etc and/or (c) other competing codes are offering, or come to offer, an overall better total experience for fans, as football fans in general can't afford to view and give up times for all codes at once. In summary, when fans leave, IMO in 90% of cases it's the fault of code or team delivery in total, and it's the absolute responsibility of code management and coaches to fix that rate of departure and get the fans back so as to protect the basic viability of the rugby enterprise.

 

[Set piece magic]

I'm not saying It is a bad thing or their evil because they left - it was a result of poor planning ahead by JON who had plans to bail to the FFA. We lost all momentum, the Wallabies brand after a few years went to the **** and a lot of people lost interest.. and fair enough, I'm not claiming to be one of those guys that was totally interested the whole time. I probably got back on the bandwagon of the Reds in late 2009 when I read a presser from McKenzie which was really well stated about getting winning culture, and all of a sudden I was interested again and haven't missed a game since. I didn't stop supporting the wallabies though, because it didn't get as bad as the Reds.

Now we have competent able management, a strong brand in the Reds that no one can say is Shite or wannabe, and an entertaining brand that even rugby haters can't deny, we are set for the cash. If this keeps up and we host the semi and final, we could make a chunky profit this year.

Which means more grassroots money, etc..

Only thing left to do is stop the bleeding at Ballymore - but that's coming.

I was trying to be a little humorous with the "Fucked off at the end of 2003" comment. Think of it as being said in the twelfth mans voice

 

[Elfster]

One thing about the Reds is that when you watch them they look like they are enjoying playing the game. And that sort of feeling has carried across to the supporters and viewers.

 

[Mr Tank]

I think the catalyst for all this has come from above at the boardroom level. I totally agree with everything you have said and it is because the suits at the management level have given the support and freedom to those below to reform things without having a dagger driven into their backs. I truly think Phil Mooney was on this path but did not get this level of support from above and was knifed in the back.

No way am I having a go here Ruggo and sorry to pick on one single item, but I just feel like its time I shared a few things. First up here I have to admit I am biased completely, being close to a former board member, but I will relate the timeline as honestly and fully as I remember it.
At the end of the 2009 Super 14 season a full review was called for by the QRU board after the Reds finished 13th with 3 wins. This investigation and report was conducted by former players (and I think, administrators) independent of the QRU. At the time the QRU chairman was Peter Lewis, one of Phil Mooney’s biggest and most vocal supporters. During this period, Peter Lewis was involved with externally with legal proceedings with his property group Trinity.
While this was happening Ken Freer announced he was not going to seek the opportunity to stay on as CEO.
It became clear that Peter Lewis’s position as Chairman was unsustainable and that his continued involvement with the QRU would be hugely detrimental. The board asked him to leave as chairman, which he did. Up to this point, and it is the single biggest criticism I have of the previous QRU board, they had by and large been silent on most matters and had more or less become “yes men”. Rod McCall was the only person who put his hand up for the role as QRU chairman.
Either prior to McCall’s official appointment or shortly after his appointment the season review was handed over. The report’s major recommendation that Mooney be let go (I know none of the information in this report other than the outcomes, I’m pretty sure it would be illegal for me to know). The board followed the recommendations. If you recall at this point Peter Lewis was quoted extensively in the media saying this was a terrible idea and that such instability was the worst possible outcomes for Qld rugby.
By my recollections of the timeline, the board was nothing but loyal to Phil Mooney until outcomes of an independent inquiry realistically forced their hand. Certainly the former chairman remained loyal well after that.
Speaking personally, from what I heard Phil Mooney was an exceptionally nice guy and he did make some tough calls. He made the call to cut some senior players who were undermining his coaching (I understand they were contradicting him at training, refusing to follow instruction both at training and during games). He also identified some exceptional talent like Higginbotham and, as even though I thought Mooney was mad in 2009, Rod Davies. But there was also something clearly lacking in his coaching. If you also recall, 2009 was the season Leroy Houston put on between 10 and 15kg during the season and was neither admonished nor dropped. That was also the season they lost to the Lions when the Lions had had 2 players yellow carded at the same time. The strong weight of evidence, both during his tenure and after suggests that the board made the right call with his sacking in 2009.
Not wanting to dwell too much on history, but in what is seemingly forgotten here in the backslapping of the current administration (and rightly deserved backslapping I will add), the previous board appointed both Ewen McKenzie and Jim Carmichael. For those disputing that, McKenzie and Carmichael were both appointed in 2009, the board changed in 2010 with only 2 of the previous board standing for re-election, both lost.
Apologies for writing an essay, but having been on this board for a while now, even if not posting much, I felt that some were rewriting history. This is not meant to be argumentative, nor is it meant to denigrate the significant achievements so far of the current administration but I felt it only fair to give some credit where it was due, particularly in a thread suggesting the Reds are building something special.

 

[whatty]

Enjoy, it maybe over in a week or so.

 

[Riptide]

Good post...

 

[Riptide]

Holy shit, did Macqueen fuck your sister?

What is your beef?!

Slim, my sister's not his type; she likes to live a little and have the occasional glass or two of red though nothing to excess. She's very capable though, but definitely not his type.

 

[Slim 293]

Slim, my sister's not his type; she likes to live a little and have the occasional glass or two of red though nothing to excess. She's very capable though, but definitely not his type.

Look Danny, you fucked up and you paid the price...

Deal with it and move on...

 

[Victorian Reds Fan]

I wish there was any coverage at all of the Reds down here. The only coverage is about Cipriani screwing up off field.

 

[Ruggo]

No way am I having a go here Ruggo and sorry to pick on one single item, but I just feel like its time I shared a few things. First up here I have to admit I am biased completely, being close to a former board member, but I will relate the timeline as honestly and fully as I remember it.
At the end of the 2009 Super 14 season a full review was called for by the QRU board after the Reds finished 13th with 3 wins. This investigation and report was conducted by former players (and I think, administrators) independent of the QRU. At the time the QRU chairman was Peter Lewis, one of Phil Mooney’s biggest and most vocal supporters. During this period, Peter Lewis was involved with externally with legal proceedings with his property group Trinity.
While this was happening Ken Freer announced he was not going to seek the opportunity to stay on as CEO.
It became clear that Peter Lewis’s position as Chairman was unsustainable and that his continued involvement with the QRU would be hugely detrimental. The board asked him to leave as chairman, which he did. Up to this point, and it is the single biggest criticism I have of the previous QRU board, they had by and large been silent on most matters and had more or less become “yes men”. Rod McCall was the only person who put his hand up for the role as QRU chairman.
Either prior to McCall’s official appointment or shortly after his appointment the season review was handed over. The report’s major recommendation that Mooney be let go (I know none of the information in this report other than the outcomes, I’m pretty sure it would be illegal for me to know). The board followed the recommendations. If you recall at this point Peter Lewis was quoted extensively in the media saying this was a terrible idea and that such instability was the worst possible outcomes for Qld rugby.
By my recollections of the timeline, the board was nothing but loyal to Phil Mooney until outcomes of an independent inquiry realistically forced their hand. Certainly the former chairman remained loyal well after that.
Speaking personally, from what I heard Phil Mooney was an exceptionally nice guy and he did make some tough calls. He made the call to cut some senior players who were undermining his coaching (I understand they were contradicting him at training, refusing to follow instruction both at training and during games). He also identified some exceptional talent like Higginbotham and, as even though I thought Mooney was mad in 2009, Rod Davies. But there was also something clearly lacking in his coaching. If you also recall, 2009 was the season Leroy Houston put on between 10 and 15kg during the season and was neither admonished nor dropped. That was also the season they lost to the Lions when the Lions had had 2 players yellow carded at the same time. The strong weight of evidence, both during his tenure and after suggests that the board made the right call with his sacking in 2009.
Not wanting to dwell too much on history, but in what is seemingly forgotten here in the backslapping of the current administration (and rightly deserved backslapping I will add), the previous board appointed both Ewen McKenzie and Jim Carmichael. For those disputing that, McKenzie and Carmichael were both appointed in 2009, the board changed in 2010 with only 2 of the previous board standing for re-election, both lost.
Apologies for writing an essay, but having been on this board for a while now, even if not posting much, I felt that some were rewriting history. This is not meant to be argumentative, nor is it meant to denigrate the significant achievements so far of the current administration but I felt it only fair to give some credit where it was due, particularly in a thread suggesting the Reds are building something special.

Cheers for taking the time to write this. I certainly didn't want to re-write history and apologise if that is the way it came across. I am probably guilty of making too many assumptions about the board room level. I remember Leroy's weight gain. I still have my doubts over whether Leroy has achieved his full potential and I think that reflects on him and him only. I don't know Mooney's age but he looks reasonably young and maybe inexperience counted against him but what I remember from Mooney's time is him starting in 2008 and inheriting the remains of the Eddie Jones bollocks. Not much happened in that first year and I think Mooney was feeling out what he inherited (which was far less than what Link inherited). The highlight of that season was the huge turn around against the Bulls where we touched them up after the humiliation in Pretoria the year before. This was the game where Higgers burst onto the scene with that big hit on Habana. The second year saw some significant changes in the Reds on the field. Not all were good as you have pointed out but if I remember this was the first year that the Reds started that great attacking rugby and turned away from that dire shithouse 10 man crap that they previously played. This attacking flair has become a marketing platform in the present. This was the year that Digby really burst out playing at 13. Mooney seen a bargin in recruiting the Fainga'a twins and I am sure most of us would have thought he was bat shit crazy at the time. I remember the Sharks were destroying everything in their path until they faced us at Suncorp and we did a number on them which was the game where Ben Daley hit the scene and dominated John Smit at the scrum. It was just a dam shame they couldn't defend for shit because their attack was something of a massive revelation. Please correct me if I am wrong but I think this was Damian Marsh's first year at the Reds also. Mark Bell had the Reds scrum on the improve and Laurie Weeks was named rookie of the year.

I think Mooney had gotten the Reds revival underway before he was sacked and Link appointed. Link was extremely smart in adapting to what Mooney had been working on. Jets is spot on in what he said about Matt Taylor as he is the one who added a good defence to the side which was evidentially lacking in 2009. I wonder what Mooney had cooking for that third year of his contract before he was sacked.

This is all water under the bridge now and should stay that way but it is fair to conclude that those before the current staff deserve a piece of the credit for the Reds revival.

 

[tranquility]

Phil Mooney is a good skills coach and did improve the Reds attacking game and made some good recruitments, however if he had stayed coach we would not even be half as successful as we are now.

Ewan Mckenzie is the messiah. Amen