The future of Western Force coach John Mitchell is in his hands, not the retired judge who has been parachuted into try and solve the damaging rift between the former All Black coach and the majority of his Super 14 players.

That is the claim of RugbyWA chairman Geoff Stooke, who oversaw Mitchell's first training session with Force players in more than a month, and then confirmed the restrictions placed on the head coach before Christmas had been relaxed.

Retired Supreme Court judge Robert Anderson has completed his interviews with players and staff who had voiced so many concerns about Mitchell's management style that the Force hierarchy were forced to bring in the QC to prevent a mutiny.

It appeared to have worked to a point on Monday, with Stooke and Mitchell putting on a brave face for the cameras, while assistant coach John Mulvihill directed the players on the training track.

And with just 40 days to the Super 14 season opener against the Blues at Subiaco, both men said they were confident Mitchell would be the coach in 2009 - with the Kiwi saying he was looking a lot further beyond that.

"I am contracted right through to 2011, so I feel very secure - but it is about evolving and improving myself. I am totally committed," Mitchell said.

"There are some behaviours, I guess, that have worked for me in the past. But again it’s just this club needing a certain style at the start of its introduction and, I guess, it’s now requiring me to evolve and pitch at a different level.

“You know the great thing about all this, a lot of people see it as negative and probably not conducive to teamwork and harmony, the great thing about it is that this group wants to take responsibility.

“To me that’s a real positive sign because that’s something that we’ve been seeking since our start and I sense there is an element of maturity in having come out of this situation, which is very pleasing from my point of view.”

Pleasing was not the word Stooke would have used about his required presence, with CEO Greg Harris still on leave with the club looking on the brink of a full-blown crisis leading into Christmas.

Stooke insisted Mitchell, and not outside parties, held his destiny in his own hands.

"The future of the coach is in the hands of the coach - and time will tell," Stooke said

"John Mitchell is the head coach he will continue in that role. If there are issues to address it is up to him and others to address those issues.

"If recommendations come out … we will address them at the time."

And despite the Super 14 season being dangerously close - the Crusaders are in Perth on January 23 for a pre-season game - Stooke said he would be not be pressuring Justice Anderson for the report which could make or break his coach's career.

"We don’t make a deadline … we can't push him on that he will give it to us when he is ready. We would like it sooner rather than later," Stooke said

"I would suspect it will be before the season starts."

Before then, Mitchell hinted that captain Nathan Sharpe would act as liaison in a bid to get the Force's season up and running - while also saying that while he might have to change his methods, so might some players.

"I have not spoken to them as a (leadership) group because I was not allowed to prior to Christmas - but I have spoken to some of the leaders, and what I am very pleased about is that they are likely to come back to me with what they expect of their coach in '09," Mitchell said.

"It is important that we communicate, and Sharpey the captain will be an important foil and an important part of that.

"These five weeks are the most important of inputs going into the competition."

"If something comes out of it (the Anderson report) that I have got to improve then I will certainly appreciate it. I know I have got to evolve my leadership - but relationships go two ways too.

"But I am the head coach - and I sure am (the best man for the job)."

watoday.com.au