"Good enough, old enough."
Reds captain Liam Wright says his side's young stars are ready to step into the Super Rugby cauldron against the Brumbies on Friday night as Queensland looks to start its march back to the playoffs.
The Reds snapped a long losing streak to NSW sides when they beat the Waratahs 28-19 in their final pre-season trial in Dalby on Friday night.
Two late tries improved the scoreline for the Tahs but they were comprehensively outplayed by the Reds in a match in which Junior Wallabies Isaac Lucas and Harry Wilson pressed their case for starting spots.
Lucas won eight caps last year after making his debut off the bench in round one but is almost certain to start in the no.10 jersey against the Brumbies.
"I think he's done a really good job," Wright said of Lucas.
"There's a few guys pushing for that - James O'Connor can shift into 10 - but he's done a really good job. He straightens up that line really well and he's got really fancy feet.
"It just creates difficulty in the defensive line to try and keep on him or if he opens up that inside option on the outside.
"If we have guys running off him the whole time, I think he'll prove really good for us."
Coach Brad Thorn was loathe to reveal his hand was admitted Lucas was "a good fit" at 10.
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"The kid's got talent. I'm giving the NRC a plug here but it allows you to (see those players in action)," Thorn said.
"We gave Isaac about nine games there at 10 and it just allows you to give some guys that time at that mid-range level in between club and Super.
"He's enjoying his footy there and probably really enjoying James outside him. It's just a good fit."
Wilson showed great skill to score the Reds' first try on Friday night, plucking the ball from the back of the scrum and beating the chop of Michael Hooper and second effort of Mark Nawaqanitawase to reach out one-handed to plant the ball.
"He was probably considered unlucky last year not to get a bit of a crack but he's really bid his time and worked on his skills," Wright said.
"I think his no.8 at the back of the scrum has been exemplary as he showed with that first try he scored.
"To be able to reach out on a wet, slippery night and score a try like that (and) his running game is pretty unrivaled.
"We're really happy with how he's gone and he's pushing really hard for round one."
Thorn was reluctant to single out players in what he felt had been a strong effort but did make mention of Wilson.
"I don't really want to pick anyone out in a trial game but some of those guys have been around for a couple of years now and it's just good to see them grow," he said.
"And then younger guys like Harry Wilson come in - and he's a prospect isn't he."
The Super Rugby run of both Lucas and Wilson was interrupted by their Junior Wallabies campaigns last year but having made the transition to senior footy, both are expected to make a firm mark with the Reds this year - along with Junior Wallabies captain Fraser McReight, currently sidelined with a fractured thumb.
In fact, Thorn revealed Lucas would have played the whole season last year was it not for the U20s campaign.
"He's a very talented footballer," Thorn said.
"He would have played 16 games last year if he wasn't in the 20s. He played eight because he went - and he was missed.
"You've got to remember James (O'Connor) can play no.10 as well. He's a pretty seasoned campaigner, Bryce can obviously play there if he had to, Hamish can play there - he's concentrating on 12 now.
"But if you look around the country, there's not a heap of them, so we feel fortunate we've got Isaac here, he's Queensland born and bred and he's having time there and a bit of time at fullback and we've got other options there as well."
