Barnes set for fiery Reds’ reception

New Waratah Berrick Barnes can already hear the thundering hooves of his former Queensland teammates, but he won’t be asked to divulge any trade secrets about the Reds before the opening Super 14 round rugby clash in Brisbane on Saturday.

The gifted playmaker, who is expected to line up at five-eighth, is happy his first encounter with his state of birth will be out of the way straight away.

While he hasn’t been exchanging text messages with old teammates, Barnes knows what to expect this weekend.

“I hear they are taking bets on who is going to smash me first,” Barnes joked at the Waratahs’ season launch at the SCG on Monday.

While Queensland’s passion and desire to beat NSW is legendary, Barnes stressed NSW wouldn’t be trailing the Reds in the motivation stakes.

Reds-Waratah matches are traditionally blood and thunder battles not renowned for producing flair and flowery football, but Barnes believed there would be some good rugby played between the inevitable bone bruising hits.

“I can tell you right now, we want to win just as much and we will doing our best to bring some fire to the table as well,” said Barnes, who admitted he would feel a few more nerves than usual going into the game.

“I’ve no doubt there will be some fiery exchanges early, but both teams I think are hoping to use the ball, so hopefully the fans will see a bit of a spectacle.”

NSW coach Chris Hickey, who will be tasting Super 14 combat in Brisbane for the first time, hasn’t been leaning on Barnes to give up inside information on his former team.

“I think the thing with these games is to keep your focus on yourself rather than worry too much about the opposition, so we’re not seeking out any trade secrets from Berrick,” Hickey told AAP.

The second season Waratahs coach believed his predecessor Ewen McKenzie would adopt a similar attitude, despite having gleaned plenty of knowledge about the Waratahs from his time in charge of that franchise.

“If you look at that time between 2008 (McKenzie’s last season with NSW) and now, it (the NSW roster) has changed a fair bit, there’s probably 50 per cent turnover in playing staff and I think the game has probably also changed a little bit,” Hickey said.

“Ewen will have some insight into some (NSW) players, but I think he’d be more focused on his own players than worrying about what the Waratahs are going to do.”

Barnes got a little insight into how Queenslanders react to seeing one of their former favourites in a Waratahs’ shirt, as he made his Reds debut in 2006 when Wendell Sailor played his first match for the `Tahs.

“I won’t be trying to talk it up as much as big Dell, that’s for sure,” Barnes said.

“It was definitely great to be part of that game, no matter what side you’re on and that’s what we need in rugby, some rivalries.”

Hickey will await hamstring injury reports on Tuesday on lock Will Caldwell, centre Rob Horne and another former Queenslander, outside back Drew Mitchell, before finalising his side for Saturday’s game.

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