I'm baffled as to why. Not one journo was able to muster the independence and honesty to ask the seminal questions on behalf of their readers: (a) when the world was there for the Reds in choosing a replacement for Link, why would you choose a coach with an ongoing poor track record in: w-l %, recruitment, technical/skills advancement and consistency of tenure? (b) why rush this and risk team uncertainty in the middle of a key 'prove it again' season for the Reds, and (c) was a world-wide search conducted for the replacement pre choosing RG?
In the best traditions of the supine, intellectually gormless Aus rugby media, the vast majority of the questions were de facto dorothy dixers and obvious speculations re the Wallabies that could be pre-guaranteed to be batted away by Link with denials.
None of my concerns over this extraordinary choice and its odd rushed process have died away. Indeed, when Link in this presser emphasised that it was RG's skills in communicating with community rugby etc that proved appealing and that 'we don't need another rugby technician' my concerns were heightened that some kind of silently over-confident gloss has taken over these QRU leaders. Like: The Reds are fine, their new superiority is a kind of given now.
And I have felt and posted since Rnd 2 that I sensed some form of champions' complacency and lack of 2012 hunger in the today Reds and their coaches. Defensive intensity and outcomes, ball security and handling, back line plays off the set piece, forwards aggression and accuracy have all be way below 2011's standards and have been notably slow in being repaired by players and coaches and we're at Rnd 9. Somewhere, application and complete commitment are down on the required standard. Whilst all of this is happening, in the background we rush to appoint RG for 2013. An RG to be 'mentored' in the QLD way by Link, the chap is not quite ready to swim without water wings. (If we perform poorly in 2012 - a distinct possibility as of today - 2013 will transpire to be an absolutely crucial year of recovery to high standards and exciting play. Two ordinary-to-poor Reds years in a row and you can kiss big crowds away at Suncorp and the 'revival of community rugby' in QLD will I predict prove less than enduring. Like it or not, QLDers like heros and winning heros.)
There's a less than ideal pattern emerging in all this, like a subtle watermark that's there but barely visible. I can't quite as yet put my finger on it. Time, as always, will reveal all.
