For much of the past decade, Australian athletics looked to be on a downhill slope to irrelevance. In-fighting, review after review and widespread concern about falling participation rates saw an unhappy and fragmented community. Past greats questioned the training ethics of the new breed, coaches bickered over athletes, administrators valiantly fought for, but ultimately lost, major sponsors.

Ironically, all parties - athletes, coaches, administrators and managers - were arguing for the same thing. Everyone wanted, but didn't know how to achieve, a return of passion and success to Australian track and field.

As we count down the days to the Delhi Commonwealth Games in October, there are increasing signs that this uncertain track and field landscape has finally found a happy-enough equilibrium.

The Australian Flame, as the Australian team is now known, has a solid core of regular top performers. There is Dani Samuels in the discus, Steve Hooker in the pole vault, Sally Pearson (nee McClellan) in the hurdles, Fabrice Lapierre and Mitch Watt in the long jump and Jared Tallent in the walks. In many states of Australia, decreasing participation rates have also been reversed. With the CEO baton being passed from Danny Corcoran to Dallas O'Brien, the flame of Aussie athletics is flickering once again.

There are other signs of a new era of co-operation and progress.

Long-time outlier Nic Bideau, instrumental in the early years of Cathy Freeman's success, as well as Benita Willis' World Cross Country victory and "Big Mazungo" Craig Mottram's World Championships bronze medal, is as close to being a cog in the Athletics Australia machinery as he ever will be.

With long-time friend Tim O'Shaughnessy filling the role of Australian distance running co-ordinator, Bideau and O'Shaughnessy have forged a strong and functional working relationship. This affiliation is positive - Bideau's stranglehold over Australia's top distance runners, whether as coach or manager, shows no signs of abating.

Bideau, who heads up the Melbourne International Track Club, has a proud history of doing things his way - "I have my own set up and I think it works better if it's not part of the system as it allows everyone else to do what they feel is best and only those who want to work with me do" - but they have not always won universal acclaim.

In 2006, Raelene Boyle wrote that Bideau "has dismantled as many athletes as he has produced," criticizing him for his abrupt and win-at-all-costs attitude. Indeed, Bideau's coaching relationships with both Freeman and Mottram ended up in legal wrangles.

But while Boyle may be correct that Bideau's style may not suit everyone, significant numbers of athletes continue to flock to Bideau, and results continue to emerge.

Of his current stable, despite a below-par recent performance at the Stockholm Diamond League, Collis Birmingham is a strong contender for the 5000m in Delhi. He is yet to surpass the feats Craig Mottram, but shows class if he continues to improve. Mottram, too, now under the tutelage of distance guru Chris Wardlaw, is also on the comeback trail. A showdown between a fully fit Mottram and Birmingham would be a coup for Australian athletics.

Then there is the exciting depth emerging in the men's 1500m, where Ryan Gregson, Craig Huffer, Jeff Riseley and Mitch Kealey all use Bideau's management services.

The 21-year-old Gregson is the most exciting of the bunch, recently smashing the Australian 1500m record in Monaco. Gregson's time was over seven seconds faster than the winning time of Kiwi Nick Willis in the 2006 Commonwealth Games. In the words of Bideau: "Gregson is a huge talent and from what I've seen has an ability to compete under pressure up with the very best. This is yet to be tested as he never felt the intense pressure that big name world class athletes come under at a Championship. But I guess we'll learn more about that side of him at the Commonwealth Games."

Craig Huffer, 20, who joined Bideau's clan last year for a training camp but is now coached in the US by his brother, is also improving quickly. According to Bideau "he's a big talent, and one who I hope to see on Australian teams in the future."

With Jeff Riseley recently turning down his spot in the Commonwealth Games 1500m due to injury, it remains to be seen whether Huffer or Kealey, both holding A qualifiers, will replace him in the Australian team to be finalised on August 16. Gregson and Beijing Olympian Jeremy Roff have already been named. Mottram, if he races and qualifies prior to August 16, is also a contender for the final spot.

Bideau nominated Kealey as the best qualified to replace Riseley.

''It's up to the AA Selectors to choose a replacement for Jeff,'' he said. ''(But) Mitch Kealey is the best placed, having run 3.36.00 and placed fourth in the trial. His recent form in Europe has also been good. He has placed in the top three in his last four races and his recent training suggests he is ready to run a fast one in the right race. His next race is a 1500m in Gothenburg on Tuesday where I think he'll even further improve his chances of going to Delhi.''