LYNAGH SHINES ON COMEBACK

Tom Lynagh may have been considered a brave man to have pondered a Wallabies call up, but the prodigal son has given his shock chances a timely boost.

In his first outing on the comeback trail from a minor hamstring concern, the rookie five-eighth combined with McDermott to mastermind the side’s attack at Suncorp Stadium.

While he has not brought the same enigmatic flair to the No.10 jumper as the likes of Quade Cooper and O’Connor before him, the son of Test great Michael Lynagh has demonstrated a level of composure and courageous decision-making beyond his years.

Lynagh’s booming kicking game kept the Force back three - headlined by former Wallabies star Kurtley Beale - pinned deep in their own end early, providing the platform for a Reds’ forward pack led by a rampant, try-scoring Seru Uru to thrive.

It was a task made easier for the engine room when Force No.8 Reed Prinsep was shown a yellow card when his shoulder came into contact with Liam Wright’s head 58-minutes in, as Fraser McReight scored seconds later.

The Queensland flanker crossed his second shortly after in a performance which garnered the Frank Ivory Medal for man of the match, as an elusive linebreak from outside centre Josh Flook - celebrating his 50th game for the Reds - kept the procession rolling.

But it was Lynagh’s willingness to run the football and dig deep into the defensive line that showcased perhaps the biggest growth in his game this year.

The 21-year-old’s teammates have spoken of his developing voice and confidence on the field, but it was on Saturday night where he demonstrated his bravery taking on the Force defence and opening up space for his backline to shine.

He took many a hit for his troubles, at one stage receiving treatment as blood poured from his forehead, but he kept bouncing back and added five goals for good measure.

Having outgunned seven-Test Wallaby Ben Donaldson at Suncorp Stadium, Lynagh’s partnership with inside centre Hunter Paisami - who appears destined to return to the international fold - and McDermott could strengthen his cause in Schmidt’s eyes when Wales tour Australia in July.

BEALE’S CHANCES TAKE A DIVE

Kurtley Beale rocketed into Wallabies contention after he linked up with the Force deep into the season, however his performance in Brisbane may have hindered his prospects.

As the Australian brand seeks to emerge from a woeful 2023 and pave a way for the future, Schmidt could well look to reinvention.

Beale, 35, has long been a strong contributor in the green and gold jumper in 95 Tests, but was outgunned by Reds fullback Campbell in the year’s penultimate fixture.

The veteran showed promising early touches that suggest the old spark is well and truly there, after his return in round nine coincided with the Force’s charge back into finals contention on the back of three wins from his five games heading into the Reds’ defeat.

But Beale was kept well contained by his Queensland counterparts, with Campbell by contrast finishing with a try, try assist and 83m.

Brumbies star Tom Wright looks set to be the favourite to claim the coveted green and gold No.15, his two-try performance in his side’s 53-17 win over the Rebels on Friday taking him inside the competition’s top 10 for tries [9], defenders beaten [42], clean breaks [11] and metres gained [973, top of the competition].

But Campbell has added his name to the mix since Petaia’s season-ending shoulder injury ensured he had a mortgage on the Reds’ job, and his one-on-one triumph of Beale no doubt has strengthened his cause.

CAN THE REDS GET IT DONE?

Queensland’s win secures them fifth place come finals time, likely putting them on a collision course with the Chiefs in New Zealand.

The Reds defeated the Chiefs across the ditch just last year, before succumbing to them in the corresponding sudden-death clash last year, but will look to use their final fixture against the Waratahs to ensure they are raring for revenge.

Coming off the back of a frustrating defeat to the Fijian Drua, Kiss stressed that while some team changes may come in anticipation for the business end of the year, they would not seek to field a weakened team against New South Wales.

Given the likes of Petaia and Harry Wilson will miss their premiership tilt, building continuity could be the difference between a deep charge or a quick finals exit.

“The last two weeks we did balance our side out a little bit, no teams have come back from Fiji and won their next game, so that’s a big plus,” Kiss said.

“We had a plan there, and that came to fruition. We’re talking with the coaches about next week, you do think about those things, and we don’t want to take the foot off.

“We’ve got to have a good go on it [against the Waratahs], but some guys do deserve a chance as well, and some guys have still got some niggles, so we’ll make some decisions early in the week.

“We’ll see, we’ve got some options.”