High hopes this Reds coaching shuffle will prove better than the others as Richard Graham takes over from Ewen McKenzie

SINCE the professional era, the tale of departing coaches has not been a happy one for the Queensland Reds.

Ewen McKenzie and Richard Graham

SINCE the professional era, the tale of departing coaches has not been a happy one for the Queensland Reds.

John Connolly was shown the door in 2000 because he annoyed officials, while his replacement Mark McBain had two solid seasons in charge but became the victim of player power.

I took over from him in 2003 only to discover I was a square peg in a round hole and resigned after one season.

My departure triggered a chain of events that saw a perfectly functioning CEO in Jeff Miller selflessly assume the coaching role.

His time coincided with the formation of the Western Force and the raid on Queensland-nurtured talent such as Nathan Sharpe, David Pocock and Digby Ioane.

That was always going to be messy. It became messier when Eddie Jones came in all guns blazing to a peace-loving squad. Tears were the inevitable outcome.

For different reasons there was instability at Ballymore when each of those coaches moved on, but things began to improve when Phil Mooney took over from Jones

He had done the coaching hard yards at club and junior level and, with useful new blood like Will Genia and Quade Cooper arriving on the scene, he set a reasonable foundation.

The pace of change was not rapid enough though for the decision-makers, and in came Ewen McKenzie to reign over the Reds' most productive period.

You can't really have foolproof prescience as a coach, but you can work hard, with an eye not only on the present but also on the future, stir it in with some good luck and a proficient playing roster and there's a fair chance the future will be close to how you envisaged.

He has brought success, but just as importantly has coupled it with stability. He moves on, of his own will, leaving new head coach Richard Graham in charge of an environment that none of his predecessors were blessed with.
It's how you would choose it to be, but it also adds to the pressure.

In the perfectly written script, Graham's return to Queensland rugby after building his coaching CV around the world could not have worked out more seamlessly. To have a year working with the departing main man is invaluable in terms of understanding what the players are used to.

No coach worth his salt wants to be a copycat, but there's absolutely nothing wrong with a little bit of plagiarism when you know that what's been written makes sense.

One assumes Graham will pick up on the McKenzie gems but will be determined to ensure the 2014 Reds and onward will be seen as his team, not a rehashed version of the previous master. My guess is he will tweak rather than revolutionise, and with most of the Reds' best players committed to Ballymore for the next couple of seasons, it would be folly to try to fix what is largely unbroken.

The departure of Digby Ioane and Luke Morahan will put some pressure on the outside backs and Radike Samo is also a big loss, but the majority of the players that remain have, as individuals, talent, experience and youth on their side.

It is a heck of a trifecta and, while no one ever really knows unless they are on the inside, there seems to be a spirit and a camaraderie within the Reds environment that I dare say borders on old-fashioned.

None of this guarantees anything, of course. Injury and unforeseen circumstance are the coach's curse and Graham's been around enough blocks to know it won't be all milk and honey. He will also be aware he has been given as good a leg-up as any new coach, and the expectation will be evident as soon as the first whistle is blown in the 2014 Super Rugby tournament.

So while Graham contemplates next year, McKenzie contemplates next month. The new Wallaby coach announced his first squad on Friday as preparations for the August 17 Bledisloe Cup encounter begin.

The difference between his first selection and many made by his predecessor Robbie Deans is that no one who deserved to be in the squad missed out. I'd have included Waratahs lock Will Skelton and Force centre Kyle Goodwin but they're not must-picks.

Players will earn their keep under McKenzie and hopefully the Reds and Wallabies will be improvers on the back of the coaching shuffle.