The Western Force have said that they are well advanced in their search for a new Head Coach following the departure of Richard Graham last month.

While the Force have stated that they are well into the search they have not named a list of potential candidates.

A statement by the club says, "RugbyWA understands there will be continued media speculation around the Head Coach position but re-iterates its position that it will be finding the best possible candidate to fill the role. "

"This process, which has already started, will continue over the next few weeks and the list of candidates has now been trimmed to a final list for interview.

"I can appreciate that there is great interest in our selection of a new Head Coach as it is a highly desirable role in world rugby" said Western Force CEO Vern Reid.

"However, we will continue the process of assessment and take the necessary amount of time to choose the best possible coach for our club.

"The Board has confidence that its initial decision to appoint Phil Blake as interim senior coach with input from Nick Stiles and Andrew Scotney together with leadership roles for Captain David Pocock and Western Force legend Nathan Sharpe, is the right one to see out the season as the coaching group until a decision is made on the head coaching position for 2013," said Reid.

The Force added that their initial list had been trimmed but then on Friday, "another highly credentialed coach threw his hat into the ring and there may still be others who put up their hands for consideration."

The Force then ended the statement saying, "In this constantly changing environment the Club will continue to speak to appropriate candidates across the board and move forward in a timely manner to make the correct decision for this vital role for the next stage of the Club’s development.

"In parallel with this process the ongoing recruitment of players is taking place and it is anticipated that a series of announcements will occur between now and the end of the season. "