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July 08, 2009
Article from: The Australian
FORMER Wallabies centre Daniel Herbert is off to a flying start in his new role as the Reds' chief contract negotiator with veteran hooker Sean Hardman announcing he has no reservations about the direction Queensland rugby is heading.
Like Berrick Barnes, Hardman had held off re-signing with the Reds because of concerns over elements of the Queensland program but the 32-year-old now admits his fears have been allayed, in part by the appointment yesterday of former teammate Herbert as the Reds' general manager.
Herbert, a 67-Test veteran, will take on the bulk of the duties previously performed by former high-performance manager Ben Whitaker, most especially the professional player negotiations, while also filling the role of team manager.
Two other members of the 1999 World Cup-winning Wallabies side, Tim Horan and Dan Crowley, have agreed to take on consulting roles, supporting Herbert in developing and mentoring current and potential Reds players. All three will join head coach Phil Mooney and Reds Academy coach Paul Carozza in an expanded recruitment and retention panel headed by chief executive Ken Freer.
Hopefully their combined expertise and credibility will help stem the tide because retention has been the Reds' achilles heel over much of the past decade.
Herbert was very much a no-nonsense centre in his playing heyday and he appeared to have lost none of his directness when asked what his prime objective would be in his new role. "To build a winning team," Herbert said. "Ultimately it all comes down to results."
In the short term, his priorities will be to secure the signatures of Hardman, Barnes and Stan Pilecki Medal-winning winger Digby Ioane and to find a quality backrower. This task was not made any easier by the decisions of two former Queenslanders, Rocky Elsom and Mitch Chapman, to sign with the Brumbies and of Ben Mowen to re-commit to the Waratahs.
Ioane made a verbal commitment at the Pilecki Medal ceremony to re-enlist in the Red Army but continues to tease officials anxious to see that pledge committed to paper, while Barnes appears to be inching closer to a decision to remain at Ballymore.
"I'm really happy to see great former Queensland players involved," said Barnes, who denied rumours that a strained relationship with backs coach Damon Emtage was one of his sticking points.
"I don't have a problem with Damon. I just want to see how things develop. It's good to have those guys back, one in a fulltime role and two part-time and helping out.
"They are very passionate about it and bringing a bit of science to the actual recruitment.
"That's a big positive and that's one of the main things I wanted to make sure gets right in Queensland, retaining and recruiting the best players around."
One of the developments most concerning him is who the Reds choose as their forwards coach to replace the sacked Mark Bell. That might seem a curious concern for a five-eighth but as the man whose ability to run the game is largely determined by the quality of the ball presented to him, it's not such a strange preoccupation.
Barnes said he did not know who was on the Reds' shortlist to replace Bell.
"They haven't given me any names, but they said they were speaking to four pretty good candidates," Barnes said.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au...015651,00.html
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