Reds have faith in Graham

Mon, Nov 23, 2015, 1:00 AM
AAP
by AAP

Queensland Reds centre Samu Kerevi says the team has full faith in coach Richard Graham and its entire coaching staff ahead of the 2016 season.

Kerevi said he was personally keen to repay the faith of his head coach, who gave him a Super Rugby opportunity off the back of his form with Brisbane club, GPS.

“We’re just backing Richard,” he said.

“I‘ve got full faith in him. He’s picked me up in club so I’ve got to repay that favour from him.

“For myself and the team, we’re just backing Richard 100 percent.

“We’ve got amazing experience in the coaching staff we’ve brought in so we’re just willing to work hard for him and work hard for the squad and bring back Queensland to where it was.”

Kerevi said the team spirit hasn’t been eroded and that the Reds won’t be hiding from their disappointing 2015 campaign.

“It wasn’t the season we hoped for but we’re going to stick together,” he said.

“We trust the things the coaches are saying and everything they’ve put together.

“For us we’ve got to take it on the head what’s happened and work hard this pre-season.”

Kerevi will play a vital role in any possible Reds redemption after a breakout 2015 that saw him bolt into Wallabies’ calculations, and he wants the team to return to the “Queensland of old” off the back of the national team’s successful World Cup campaign.

“We’re very lucky .The Wallabies performed outstanding in the World Cup,” he said.

“Unfortunately, they didn’t win the Cup but they set a high standard for the rest of the world as well as us in Queensland.

“We want to bring that intensity that the Wallabies had, and just give something to Super Rugby from the Queensland side of things.

“We know we can be there, we’ve just got to work hard.”

At 22, Kerevi is heading into his third Super Rugby campaign, after a season in which he played 14 of 18 matches and made a mark with his bullocking runs from both inside and outside centre.

His combination with Karmichael Hunt is an intriguing one, with the ex-league star likely to team up with him in the centres after playing fullback for Brisbane City in the NRC.

“I don’t want to be happy with where I am now, I want to keep growing to the next level and try become the best player I can be in the future,” he said.

“For me it's just taking a step at a time with this pre-season.”

Share
LIVE from 7:35 pm: Waratahs, Rebels face off in crucial clash
Force told to stick to structures against Fijian flair
McDermott demands more of Reds' defence as Brumbies blockbuster looms
'We're not here for a holiday' - Fines-Leleiwasa parks Fijian heritage