Having tasted what it's like to pull on Wallaby gold in 2016, Nick Frisby will use season 2017 to show that he is the best halfback in Australia.
Successful Super Rugby halves combinations are historically a golden ticket to a Wallabies berth and with Quade Cooper alongside him, the recently re-signed Frisby hopes putting wins on the board for the Reds will translate to a starting spot on the international stage.
"Having Quade in is a massive bonus for the whole team but for me personally to be able to work with him week in and week out, side by side and really try and hone that combination together is going to be beneficial for both of us," he said.
"We know a lot about each other’s game and we are both pretty similar in that we both take a pretty relaxed view going into the game and try to play off the cuff.
"Having had a taste of internationals there is definitely a desire to push myself further there and hopefully nail down a permanent position and maybe earn a start as well."
The 24-year-old Marist College Ashgrove product had a transformative 2016, as he made the number nine jersey his own at the Reds and made his Wallabies debut against England in the June series.
Frisby's goal, for now, is to help recreate the kind of culture he formed some part of when the Reds won their last Super Rugby title, in 2011.
"My preference was to stay in Queensland all along - this will be my sixth season but I think I started my first preseason in 2010 - this is home for me and there was never any suggestion of trying to link up with any other clubs so to stay here was the dream," he said.
"It’s definitely hard to relate being so far apart and I was a lot further away from it last time but there is a real positive energy within the group.
"I was away at the time when I signed but I heard enough good reports from the boys back here about where everything was heading.
"Coming in in the New Year and seeing how hard the boys were working and the energy within the group confirmed that I made the right decision."
