Queensland Reds coach Phil Mooney must look for a second assistant after backs coach Damon Emtage quit his post on Friday.

Emtage's decision, after opting to return to his teaching career to spend more time with his young family, leaves Mooney without any of the lieutenants he started 2009 with.

Reds forwards coach Mark Bell and manager Brendan Morris were axed by Mooney and the Queensland Rugby Union while high-performance manager Ben Whitaker also quit after the team finished second last in the Super 14.

It was the sixth straight season the embattled Reds have finished in the bottom three of the ladder.

QRU chief executive Ken Freer and chairman Peter Lewis have also resigned from their jobs in the fall-out of the defection of vice-captain Berrick Barnes to NSW.

Emtage announced his decision at a team meeting on Friday, citing a job offer at Brisbane Grammar School as too good to refuse.

He said the emergence of Wallabies backs Digby Ioane, Will Genia, Peter Hynes and Quade Cooper showed the Reds were heading in the right direction under Mooney.

"The Reds are now a more attacking side and we have some exciting Wallaby backline talent in Digby, Will, Hynesy and Quade, so the next person that steps into this role is going to have a ball," Emtage said.

Mooney said Emtage had made a "massive contribution" and the evolution of the Reds' attacking style was a testimony to his work behind the scenes.

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