Posted: 2024-05-15 04:33:19

“More time [to develop] is obviously beneficial, but no doubt he’s ready. That’s not my decision, but experience is never a bad thing for anyone.

“I’m very confident that if he did get the call-up and if they put the right structure around him, he’d be fine – he’s a tough kid.”

Jock Campbell was among the scorers as the Reds beat the Rebels by four points in Brisbane.

Jock Campbell was among the scorers as the Reds beat the Rebels by four points in Brisbane.Credit: AAP

A spate of injuries has also opened the door for Campbell to return to the international fore, having fought through a series of niggling physical concerns last year to hit the form reminiscent of his 2022 campaign.

The 28-year-old played four games for the Wallabies that year, before falling off former coach Eddie Jones’ radar in the build-up to the ill-fated World Cup.

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Without Wilson and Petaia, how Lynagh and Campbell navigate such a trial by fire could seal their Wallabies fates.

“It’s always the end goal; I don’t really look at someone getting injured, it doesn’t perk me up or anything like that, but obviously that’s in the back of my mind trying to get a gold jersey,” Campbell said.

“Compared to a lot of boys, my body’s awesome, and I think everyone’s playing with something, so I’m lucky at the moment that my body’s feeling good.

“I’ve been happy with my form lately, I was a bit up and down to start with, but ... I’ve just been focusing on what I can do for the team and how we can get in a position to hopefully sneak into the top four.”

Queensland Reds team vs Fijian Drua

Reds coach Les Kiss has opted to rest hooker Matthew Faessler and young winger Mac Grealy in a bid to manage their workloads, while breakout star Tim Ryan has been shifted to the bench for similar reasons. John Bryant replaces the injured Harry Wilson.

1. Peni Ravai; 2. Josh Nasser; 3. Zane Nonggorr; 4. Ryan Smith; 5. Cormac Daly; 6. Liam Wright (cc); 7. Fraser McReight; 8. John Bryant; 9. Tate McDermott (cc); 10. Lawson Creighton; 11. Floyd Aubrey; 12: Hunter Paisami; 13. Taj Annan; 14. Suliasi Vunivalu; 15. Jock Campbell; 16. George Blake; 17. Sef Fa’agase; 18. Jeffery Toomaga-Allen; 19. Seru Uru; 20. Joe Brial; 21. Kalani Thomas; 22. James O’Connor; 23. Tim Ryan

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