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Jones chasing league centre
By Bret Harris
May 09, 2007
QUEENSLAND Reds coach Eddie Jones is in England trying to recruit another rugby league player for the wooden spooners but the question is, will he be there to coach any new signings?
Jones flew to England after the Reds' 92-3 humiliation at the hands of the Bulls in Pretoria amid speculation about his future.
It is understood one of the players Jones is looking at is Bradford centre Ben Harris, who played 40 games for the Bulldogs in the NRL, including the 2004 grand final victory.
Ben Harris: http://www.bradfordbulls.co.uk/bb_sq...asp?SquadID=65
Jones, the former Australia coach, was instrumental in the crossover of Wendell Sailor, Mat Rogers and Lote Tuqiri. Queensland has three rugby league converts on its roster: Clinton Schifcofske, Berrick Barnes and Andrew Walker.
But neither Schifcofske nor Walker alleviates the Reds' most pressing concern in the backline, inside centre, where Lloyd Johannson, Andrew Brown, Barnes and Quade Cooper have all been tried this year.
The tough-tackling Harris, 23, may be able to fill the void. But whether Jones is in Brisbane to coach the Reds is still very much up in the air.
The drums are beating loudly in Queensland to have Jones released from the final two years of his contract.
He was the first non-Queenslander to be appointed Reds coach and it was hoped an outsider would bring together the state's rival factions.
Instead of fixing the problems in Queensland, Jones seems to have become part of the problem.
He has been unable to attract any frontline Wallabies to Queensland and may struggle to keep some he's got.
The criticism of Jones' coaching and management style at the Wallabies is now being repeated at the Reds.
While the Reds sustained a spate of injuries, including a season-ending knee injury to talismanic full back Chris Latham, the team's results were unacceptable.
The Reds did not appear to have any coherent or consistent strategy over the course of the season.
Jones still has backers, including former Wallabies centre Tim Horan, but cynics suggest that most of his support comes from those who are associated with the same management company that looks after Jones.
As calls for Queensland to sack Jones gained momentum, the QRU held an ad hoc board meeting in Brisbane last night to begin its review of the season.
Lewis said the gathering was "not a crisis meeting" and that Jones and the team would be reviewed over the coming weeks.
"But we are hardly going to kick him out the door," Lewis said.
Horan, who was a national selector during Jones' tenure as Australia coach, said the Reds mentor must stay but admitted some changes had to be made at the club.
"Maybe we've got to re-evaluate where Queensland rugby is heading," Horan said.
"I fully support Eddie Jones and the players. Maybe there's got to be a cultural shift.
"I know the amount of work they are putting in but sometimes you are not good enough. That's just a fact of life in professional sport."
With AAP
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