Former Rebels coach Tony McGahan joins Queensland Reds as assistant to Nick Stiles
FORMER Rebels boss Tony McGahan will join the Reds as an assistant after a post-season review has the performance of head coach Nick Stiles in the crosshairs.
THE Reds are reeling from a $200,000-plus payout to coaching godfather John Connolly as they usher in another shake-up with former Melbourne Rebels boss Tony McGahan.
A post-season review has the performance of head coach Nick Stiles in the crosshairs after he delivered just four wins with 10 Wallabies in his squad.
McGahan will start on Monday as senior assistant coach which would be an excellent shot of experience beside mate Stiles if you ever imagined the Reds making a straightforward call.
It’s a good fit that fills the void dealt Stiles by the Queensland Rugby Union with three rookie assistants this year in Jason Gilmore (defence), Shane Arnold (attack) and Brad Thorn (contact).
Speculation swirls that a wider shake-up is being pondered with McGahan and Brad Thorn, who has won raves for his job as contact coach, gym tyrant and driver of standards.
Dual international Thorn is a head coach for the future but there can be no rush while he is still on P-plates with Queensland Under-20s and Queensland Country and has never coached a club.
“We will not be commenting on speculation,” was the only response from the QRU.
A Stiles-McGahan coaching team at the top makes sense with the latter taking on the leaky defence that conceded 61 tries in 15 games.
The QRU is ruing its shambolic practices with coaching and contracts after being ordered to pay $150,000 in damages to former Wallabies and Reds coach Connolly.
The payout will top $200,000 when costs and interest are added for his sacking after just two months as a Reds coaching consultant for Richard Graham in 2015 at $3000-a-week.
Brisbane District Court Judge Ian Dearden ruled the QRU failed to honour an oral contract, initiated by then-chairman Rod McCall, to employ him until the end of the 2016 season.
The most damning finding from Judge Dearden was that the QRU did not finalise three contract or contractor agreements initiated with Connolly which would have given clarity on the disputed terms in writing.
With no 30-day or 60-day termination provisions, the 2015 regime of then-chief executive Jim Carmichael has left the new QRU administration with a six-figure black eye.
“We are very disappointed with the decision,” a QRU spokesman said.
Originally published as Former Rebels coach Tony McGahan joins Queensland Reds as assistant to Nick Stiles
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