Queensland Reds a mystery following Quade's absence

Just how the Reds will play and who will play where this season remains a mystery, with Tens captain Samu Kerevi admitting that it will be tough to fill the void left by Quade Cooper.

“It’s a tough situation for Quade. He is still training hard in the off-season and that work ethic will help him come back stronger,” he said.

“We have got some young guys to fill that void, and it is a big void to fill, but Thorny has made that decision on what he believes is best for the team.”

The Reds have named 11 uncapped players in their 26-man squad for the Brisbane Tens, including young gun Hamish Stewart who looks likely to start at 10 this season.

“You will see expansive rugby but we want to keep how we play under wraps until the Tens so it is a surprise,” Kerevi said.

There is no shortage of emerging talent in the backs, with a host of the Queensland Country players who took out the National Rugby Championship under Brad Thorn’s guidance.

“We have some amazing players in the wide channels.

“Filipo Daugunu, Izaia (Perese) is quicker than most the guys in the squad, but we want to keep how we want to play under wraps until the actual competition.”

“If you look at the squad, it is a young squad,” he said.

“During our training sessions there have been guys that we never knew could step up that have.

“That makes life easier for me when I have guys like Duncan (Paia’aua), Chris Feauia-Sautia is stepping up in the centres and working really hard.

Kerevi has been impressed with the change of guard at Ballymore, with a renewed work ethic apparent within the squad.

“I came in in January after the Spring Tour and the boys were working hard,” he said.

“The foundation was already set with the culture and that has been amazing.

“He has instilled with all the young guys and even the older blokes – they’re all training hard and it’s been that work ethic that I am really surprised with.

“There are no excuses – guys are just putting their head down and working hard.

Queensland Reds Squad for Brisbane Tens: James Slipper, Taniela Tupou, Sef Fa’agase, JP Smith, Brandon Paenga-Amosa, Andrew Ready, Angus Blyth, Harry Hockings, Kane Douglas, Angus Scott-Young, Michael Gunn, Liam Wright, Tai Ford, Reece Hewat, James Tuttle, Moses Sorovi, Tate McDermott, Hamish Stewart, Nick Jooste, Teti Tela, Tony Hunt, Samu Kerevi (c), Filipo Daugunu, Jayden Ngamanu, Izaia Perese, Lachlan Maranta.