Richard Graham is feeling the pressure with John Connolly called in to join the coaching staff © Getty Images

Enlarge

Richard Graham has five weeks to save his coaching career.

That much is clear after the Queensland Reds installed former Wallabies coach John Connolly as an all-encompassing coaching consultant for the remainder of this season and all of 2016. It is telling that Connolly is now tied to the club longer than Graham, who is out of contract at the end of the year.

Dead last on the Super Rugby ladder, the Queensland Rugby Union looks set to axe their embattled head coach unless the Reds show significant improvement over the remainder of the season's campaign.

"I welcome the help, there's no doubt about it," Graham said. "We've had some really good discussions on everything this morning, from the way the game's played currently to the way we're playing the game, and it's just about coming up with the best way forward. I'm still clear on the direction we want to go but bringing in someone of John's experience, at times you need to listen."

The Reds have also appointed former All Black and Queensland State of Origin player Brad Thorne as a specialist coach and are expected to publicly announce his signing on Tuesday. While Graham will ultimately retain the final say in any decision making, Connolly will lend his expertise however and wherever it is needed in his first senior rugby role since the 2007 World Cup.

That is including but not limited to tactics, selection, recruitment and strength and conditioning. Connolly clearly relished his return to Ballymore, running his eye over all aspects of the Reds operation in the team's first training session since their embarrassing 58-17 capitulation to the Crusaders on Friday.

"As much as the game's changed it's stayed the same," Connolly said. "You're still an ardent watcher and you're still involved at club level. The similarities are much the same. Things don't just turn around overnight but I think there's a tremendous will here for that to happen so we're very hopeful that we'll move forward quickly - but there's no promises in this business."

Connolly compared his role to that of AFL coaching legend Kevin Sheedy, who is back at Essendon this year in a broad mentoring capacity.

"It's a big organisation, a lot to do, and I guess the experience is helpful," he said. "Getting around talking to all the players at the moment, there's a pretty good feeling here. Last week was a kick in the pants ... you've just got to draw a line under that and move on."

Graham is equally certain he has not lost the faith of the playing group, but he knows there is only one way he will be able to keep his job.

"Sport's about winning," Graham said. "I'm a realist, but at the same time I'm a fighter. We've got five games to go and I'm very keen to see us be as successful as we can."