Wayne Smith | April 21, 2009

Article from: The Australian

WESTERN Force coach John Mitchell is starting to reassert himself after being reined in by a pre-season inquiry into his behaviour -- and Perth chief executive Greg Harris could not be happier.

Deep-seated player and staff resentment of Mitchell's man management style prompted Harris and the Force management to order an independent investigation of the problem before the start of the Super 14.

The outcome was that the former All Black coach humiliatingly had his wings clipped. But where many a coach of his standing in the game might have walked away from the club or at least harboured resentment at the limits placed on his authority, Mitchell worked positively with the process and the benefits of that are now starting to flow through to the Force on the field, according to Harris.

"Not many blokes in his situation would have reviewed himself the way John has done," said the Force chief executive.

"He could not have been more manly about saying that if
there were things he needed to change, then let's change them. That took a lot of courage."

Inevitably, the review had an impact on Mitchell's coaching in the early stages of the season, especially as he no longer had full control over selections but was required to work through a committee, but Force insiders now believe he is back to his best.

"I wouldn't say he has got his confidence back because he never lost it, but he's starting to assert himself a lot more," Harris said.

"He had to take a backward step, but this bloke knows his rugby. He's a Kevin Sheedy type. Aside from his family, his life revolves around rugby and there is no doubt he is a bloody good coach."

Evidence of that is the fact that the Force has completed the Australian grand slam, beating the Brumbies, the Queensland Reds and, on Saturday, the NSW Waratahs -- all in comprehensive fashion, even if the final score in Sydney, 15-14, flattered the home side.

Mitchell yesterday deflected the suggestion that the Force's resurgent win over the Waratahs -- after blowing a nine-point lead with only three minutes remaining the previous week against the Hurricanes -- was linked to his personal resurgence.
"Stability is always helpful for everyone," Mitchell said. "But I think the most important aspect we've grasped at the moment is that the players now own our playing style. They's got really good trust in it and believe in it."

Certainly that was evident against the Waratahs, which Mitchell described as a test of character after the heartbreaking loss to the Wellington side. "There would have been a lot of people looking in to see how we responded to that setback," he said.

While the Force undid some of the damage of conceding two late tries to the Hurricanes with its win over the Tahs, the fact is that it is in ninth position with four rounds remaining -- still alive but only barely.

It remains to be seen what the full ramifications of incorrect refereeing decisions to deny the Force two tries might be. All that can be said is that the Perth side finished one try short of a four-try bonus point while the Waratahs, one of the rivals it must overtake if it is to make the play-offs for the first time, picked up a vital bonus point they would have been denied had either try been awarded.

In terms of physical damage, the Force escaped a tough encounter relatively unscathed, with Richard Brown's ankle sprain the only cause of concern. While the battle-scarred Test number eight could be pressed into service against the Lions on Friday night at Subiaco Oval, he could be one of the people Mitchell has in mind when he talked about "not running some of our young guys into the ground".

One player revelling in the hard work is halfback Josh Valentine who Mitchell singled out for special praise yesterday. "He is improving his defence and he is starting to become more of a threat off the ball," he said.


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