Genia guns for might

QUEENSLAND’S Papua New Guinean star No.9 Will Genia is confident his preparation over the off-season will see his game and the Reds fortunes match and possibly surpass last year’s drought-breaking Super Rugby title win.
In an interview last night with The National, Genia said the experience gained from 2011’s meteoric rise would add to his and the team’s hunger for more success.
“The wealth of experience that we’ve gained from so many players having test rugby under the belt is very exciting because it puts us in a confident spot with so much more self belief.
“I don’t have too many worries to be honest,” Genia said.
“We (Reds) have to continue evolving and changing our game based on individual opposition so we can keep sides guessing as to how we’re going to play.”
Genia’s game is set to come under more pressure in 2012 without regular Reds fly-half Quade Cooper with whom he formed arguably one of the most dynamic 9-10 partnerships in Super Rugby’s 16-year history.
But the Central province native seems unfazed by the weight of expectations and backed Cooper’s replacement Mike Harris to deliver against Australian rivals NSW Waratahs tomorrow night in Sydney.
“I’ll approach my game in exactly the same way as I would if he (Cooper) was there.
“I have absolute trust and faith that Mike Harris will do his job so I just have to concentrate on mine.”
Genia is widely regarded as Super Rugby’s top halfback but he will be up against the Waratahs’ wily South African recruit Sarel Pretorius in an expected clash of running sniping halfbacks. Bbut the humble 24-year-old only had respect for his opposite’s ability.
“[Sarel is a] very good sparky player who offers a lot of attacking options around the ruck and scrum because of his speed and acceleration and desire to run.”
The Reds linchpin said he had focused on his fitness over the off-season and was adamant that aspect would be the basis for the rest of his skills to flourish.
“My fitness has been my biggest focus because the fitter I am ,the better I execute my skills on a more consistent basis.
“I’ll just to do my job as well as I can for the team and contribute as positively as I can,” the Reds vice-captain said.
The Reds-Waratahs game will be shown on EMTV at 6.30pm.