The Reds' longest-tenured coach in Super Rugby history is on the move as Brad Thorn prepares to depart the club at the end of the year.
The club made the announcement on Tuesday that Thorn would move on after six years at the Reds.
Catch every game of Super Rugby Pacific LIVE on Stan Sport. Start your Free Sport Trial Now
The former All Black has overseen a generational shift since taking over in 2017.
The team hadn’t sniffed the finals since 2013, with the first seasons under Thorn a brutal reality check as he made several key decisions for the future.
He moved on Wallabies flyhalf Quade Cooper and dual international Karmichael Hunt in 2017, followed on by James Slipper in 2018 after his two-month ban for a positive cocaine test.
However, the 48-year-old’s hard-line and prioritise of youth started to deliver results for the club.
Of the 62 players to debut for the Reds under Thorn, 10 have gone on to play 50 matches for Queensland while another 14 players have since represented the Wallabies.
This has included the likes of Jordan Petaia, Harry Wilson and Fraser McReight, who have established themselves as genuine Test stars for the next decade.
At 24, Tate McDermott has stepped up as one of the best leaders and scrum halves in the country, sharing the co-captaincy with Liam Wright, another to flourish under Thorn’s leadership.
“What he’s done here in the past eight years with me has been a major part of our learning and growth,” Wright told reporters.
“We’re sad. It’s been a big connection and that care is part of the reason Thorny has been so massive for this group…today’s a perfect example of that making the announcement during the bye week so it doesn’t take away from the team so our guys can work towards finishing the season on a high. I think that says everything you need to know about Thorny in putting the team first.
“It’s a tough one because we’ve been through a lot together. We’ve connected well...I remember we called each other most days during COVID trying to work our way through and plan how to get the team through.
“He’s entrusted a lot of faith in me and I’ve tried to live up to that and I’m sure there will be tears at the end of the season."
In the end, the crowning achievement for the former All Black will be the 2021 Super Rugby AU title, the perfect storm that delivered one of the brightest nights in Australian Rugby over the past five years
His attacking brand of Rugby attracted a record crowd to a booming Suncorp Stadium that nearly brought the house down when Kalani Thomas found James O’Connor in the corner for the game-winner after the siren.
It wasn’t all smooth sailing for Thorn, with these struggles against his homeland one of the catalysts for the immense pressure on his job and eventual departure.
The Reds have beaten Kiwi opposition once since their AU heroics (v Chiefs in 2021) and found themselves tumbling down the ladder in 2022 after beginning the year with seven wins from their first eight games.
They have lost 11 of their last 15 games, securing wins against Moana Pasifika (x2), Fijian Drua and the Western Force.
Queensland has also seen a host of stars depart, including Taniela Tupou, Hamish Stewart and Lukhan Salakaia-Loto.
However, there’s no doubting Thorn’s impact and what he has done to set this club up for the future on and off the field.
“It can’t be underestimated what he’s done for this club and we have a lot to thank him for,” Reds GM of Rugby Sam Cordingley said.
“If you think about where he started with our academy, that program has only gone from strength to strength from what was basically nothing back in 2015/16. We’re now arguably the strongest academy in the country, producing a lot of great talent.
“Coming into the senior program as a relatively inexperienced head coach, Brad’s been a real catalyst for change that was needed when he started culturally.
“One of the main things he can be proud of is the standards that he has set…it wasn’t an easy period the last six years with the two years as head coach having to deal with that (COVID) pandemic.
“…Some of the achievements and success of Thorny have contributed to wiping that debt so we’re now in a great place.”
The Reds will weigh up their potential options, with Mick Heenan set up as the favourite after joining as an assistant at the start of the year.
Cordingley will search far and wide to ensure the best option is selected for his replacement.
"It is a World Cup year. There is no better year to be looking at head coaches but that is for another day," he said.
"We will certainly have the right people involved in the process to appoint (a new coach) and Rugby in Queensland deserves the right process."
The job will be attractive to any candidate given the plethora of Wallabies and young talent at the club.
There are seven in camp right now on the Gold Coast, not even including McDermott and Wright and a trio of injuries stars not considered headlined by teenager Tom Lynagh.
Lynagh is one of ten in the first Junior Wallabies squad as the Reds are in a completely contrasting position from when Thorn took over.
“Brad Thorn is leaving the Reds in a better place than when he took over 6 years ago,” Wallabies great Tim Horan said via social media.
“A stronger culture, harder work ethic, and playing for each other.
“There's a lot of potential for the next coach to take the team to a new level.”
As for Thorn’s next move? For the first time in a long time, he’s leaving it open for the first time since a bright-eyed teenager made his debut for the Brisbane Broncos nearly three decades ago.
"I am looking (forward) to having a break," he said.
"It has been pretty hectic. My main job is that I am a father of four teenagers. I get to have a break and have some space.
"The opportunity around the (Reds) academy…I appreciate that opportunity, but I will take a breath.
"There haven't been many breaths since I was 17."
