Dan McKellar says it'll require more than just the arrival of Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii to lift the Waratahs from the bottom of Super Rugby as the new NSW coach remains tight-lipped on where his code-hopping star will play.
Suaalii is the headline acquisition at the Waratahs following last year's wooden-spoon campaign, but his heroics on Australia's Spring Tour have given hope he can spark a revival under former Brumbies coach McKellar.
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Signed for a deal worth close to $1.2million per year, the 21-year-old Suaalii has so far lived up to the billing in rugby union with impressive performances for the Wallabies.
The former Sydney Roosters star was named man of the match on debut at outside centre as Australia recorded their first win over England at Twickenham in more than a decade.
But McKellar - returning after a stint coaching English club side Leicester - says the Waratahs can't look to Suaalii to be their knight in shining armour.
"It's madness to think that an individual - we're not playing under 8s here - is going to do it all on his own," McKellar said on Wednesday.
"He needs others. He needs his forward pack to provide a good set piece and a platform for him.
"If he does that, then he can play off the front foot off whoever's inside him.
"He's going to rely on others.
"It (the gameplan) is not just going to be; 'get the ball to Joseph and let's go back to the halfway line', because that's not going to work."
There remains a question mark as to where Suaalii will line up come the Waratahs' opening Super Rugby fixture against the Highlanders on February 14, with the British and Irish Lions tour now just a matter of months away.
Suaalii said on Wednesday he was comfortable anywhere across the backline and expressed an eagerness to deputise for Tane Edmed as a goalkicking option.
McKellar won't be taking orders from Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt over where best to deploy the cross-code convert and wants to keep the Waratahs' gameplan for Suaalii under lock and key.
"I've got some ideas (where Suaalii will play) but I'll keep it as a surprise for now," McKellar said.
"It'll be no different to how it's been in the past. I'm not going to tell Joe (Schmidt) what to do, and he won't tell me what to do.
"If we're talking about individuals, we'll do what's best for individuals.
"It's always been that way, and you've got to work together, and come back to what's best for the player.
"There'll be no issues there, butting heads with Joe wanting us to coach a certain style or that sort of thing."
