Queensland Reds coach Nick Stiles reckons his new-look team have already clicked and are ready to live up to their own lofty Super Rugby expectations.
Impressive at the Brisbane Global Rugby Tens and big winners in their pre-season trial against the Melbourne Rebels, the Reds are strong favourites to beat the Sharks in Friday night's season opener at Suncorp Stadium.
With a rebuilt squad boasting the likes of Wallabies skipper Stephen Moore, evergreen flanker George Smith, enigmatic five-eighth Quade Cooper and plenty of other established names ready to prove a point after missing the finals for the past three years, Stiles is confident the right pieces are in place.
"We've made some big signings by bringing in some very big names, but just to gel the squad together was always going to be one of the biggest challenges for me," Stiles told reporters on Monday.
"When you watch us play in the tens and the trial against the Rebels, you saw a side that was playing as a team.
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"You can't win anything as an individual, and I reckon the chemistry in the group is looking really positive."
The excitement was palpable at Ballymore on Monday as Reds players rubbed shoulders with retired greats including Tim Horan, Stan Pilecki, Andrew Slack and Nathan Sharpe at the launch of the club's rugby cap project.
After seven years of painstaking research, all 1306 players who have represented Queensland have been assigned special representative numbers, much like the Wallabies and the Australian cricket team, and will be presented with physical caps.
The timing, just days out from round one, was no accident.
"Perfect time of the year. It's a bit of a new beginning for the Queensland Reds," Stiles said.
"We've got a new list, a new squad, we're going to play with a new attitude.
"To be able to bring this great project into play and highlight the history - for any of the new players who get to debut this year and get a number that's there forever, that's something they'll be very proud of."
The Reds, who are second-favourites behind the Waratahs to take out the Australian conference, will name their side to face the Sharks on Wednesday.
All bar Chris Feauai-Sautia and Caleb Timu, who are both recovering from ACL injuries suffered last year, are available for selection.
Boom winger Izaia Perese, who Michael Cheika took on the Wallabies' Spring tour last year as a development player, is the hot tip to make his Super Rugby debut.
