Can the cuddly koalas dominate?

The Reds should look at 2010 as an opportunity to put their decade of poor performance behind them and try to shake their culture of defeat. Once a proud powerhouse of Australian rugby, during the days of John Eales and Tim Horan, the Reds have struggled during the last few years of Super rugby.

 Their last decent result was in 2001, when they finished in 4th position in the log, but haven’t managed to make it above 10th place in the last seven years. They hit what must have been rock bottom in 2007 when they were desecrated 92-3 by the Bulls.

Much like the Cheetahs though, the Reds manage to pull off the unlikeliest of wins at times, bringing down the likes of some of Super Rugby’s more established teams.

What the Reds have in exciting, young ball runners at the back, such as Wallabies, Will Genia, Quade Cooper, Digby Ioane and Peter Hynes, they lack upfront in the engine room. One can’t help but think that unless the forwards can get the ball rolling upfront, the Reds are in for another dismal season. As exciting as their backline might be, you can’t go through a season on the back foot.

Reds hold a large chunk of the pie, but can they use it?

Players to watch:

• New Zealand recruit, Daniel Braid will be looking to make his mark as an aggressive loose forward.
• New Wallaby half back, Will Genia, should continue on the form that saw him leapfrog the competition for the Wallaby #9 jumper.
• Quade Cooper is always exciting with ball in hand. With the exit of Berrick Barnes, he should be getting an extended run in the #12 jumper.
• New captain, James Horwill will be looking to lead by example upfront, and in doing so, be looking to stake a log term claim on a wallaby jumper.
• Hard running outside backs, Peter Hynes and Digby Ione should allow for some excitement and a good work ethic.

This is what they’ve got: [ZoomFilmTV]

Possible Concerns:

• Quade Cooper’s future within the ARU is sketchy at the moment with his court date coming up later in the year.
• The Reds’ engine room will be fighting an uphill battle from the start, to get some front-foot ball.
• The loss of leadership and playmaking ability through Berrick Barnes defecting to the ‘Tahs
• General lack of eperienced depth within the squad.

BSR’s prediction for the Reds’ best possible finish: 8th