Speculation has mounted that McKenzie is in line to replace Robbie Deans following the news that Richard Graham would take over as Reds head coach from next season.

However the 46-year-old has denied he been speaking to the Australian Rugby Union and claimed his decision to move into a coaching director role next year was in the best interests of the club.

"I don't have any thoughts exterior to what's going on at Queensland Rugby," said McKenzie, who guided the Reds to the Super Rugby title last season.

"You can speculate all you like about that and the motivations and whatever, but in the end we're trying to put in the best model for Queensland rugby. That's all I'm concentrating on.

"I've had no discussions with the ARU about anything."

When McKenzie took over at the Reds in 2010 they were a side whose best finish in the previous four years was 12th.

Voices

In his first year they went within a whisker of making the play-offs, finishing fifth in the standings, and in his second they became the first Australian team to win the title since the Brumbies in 2004.

But McKenzie claimed he had an expiry date as a head coach, and that he was ready to test himself elsewhere to ensure the success of Queensland rugby.

"I understand sport well enough to know that my time as head coach of the Reds is going to be finite and it was always going to be finite," he said.

"You've got to keep changing the voices. I can change the players, I can change the staff around me - eventually everyone is going to be changed.

"You want to do that in a way that you can manage it yourself, get the best for yourself and the best for the organisation.

"This is all longer-term stuff. We're not living in the moment, we're trying to look two or three years ahead and think what it's going to look like then and make sure it's better than it looks now."