Queensland Reds winger Rod Davies is hoping to give his new Super14 career a kickstart by modeling himself on his Reds team mate and tackle-breaking teammate Digby Ioane.
Davies has been watching Ioane and in particular studying his damaging running style and following the Wallaby back's lead in order to transform himself from the player who struggled in 2009.
The twenty year old was selected ahead of Wallabies tourist Luke Morahan and impressed in the Reds opening match against the Waratahs and may have done enough to retain his place for the match against the Crusaders on Friday.
If he is selected his says he will come off his wing and look for work and trying to drive his legs through tackles at Suncorp Stadium.
"Digby is a really good person to look at to see, especially around the ruck," said Davies, nicknamed Rocket.
"I'm trying to emulate that a bit more, and to go off my wing and look for the ball." he told AAP.
"The (Reds) wingers have got a free rein to do what we want."
Davies failed to impress in the 2009 season and only featured in five matches and knew, as the fourth best winger at best, that 2010 could be his last year if he did not make a significant turnaround.
"I'm playing with a bit more confidence and starting to get to know the game a bit more," he said.
"I feel I have a lot to prove as last year I didn't deliver and people would have thought I should be a lot better."
"The couple of years at the Broncs I struggled and coming back to union last year I struggled so I had to have a good off-season otherwise I would have been out in the workforce."
Playing under David Nucifora in the Australian Under-20 team Davies says he learnt a lot and has continued to improve his positional play under Ewen McKenzie and Reds backs coach Jim McKay.
"He's one guy who's really knuckled down and focused on correcting perceived weaknesses and that's why he's on the team," McKenzie said.
"He's an example of the progress being made."
"He's the fastest guy in the squad and that obviously helps too."
In other Reds news they could be without hooker Sean Hardman who is still in doubt for this weekend's clash against the Crusaders but the Reds are hanging on to hope of positive scan results.
The Crusaders should be missing All Black hooker Cory Flynn for the match but Test prop Wyatt Crockett and centre Ryan Crotty are set to return after they missed the opening round.
.jpg)
