George Smith scoffed at the notion that Australian rugby fans should expect him to be the powerhouse flanker he was in his mid-20s. That's mainly because at 36, he thinks he's a better version of his former self.
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The speed might have taken a hit, Smith concedes, and it may take him a while to get used to bumping bodies with the 100kg-plus giants of Super Rugby instead of the smaller, quicker opponents he has faced in Japan.
Yet his confidence is as high as ever as the 111-cap Wallaby prepares for his first appearance with the Queensland Reds, who begin their Super Rugby campaign at Suncorp Stadium against the Sharks on Friday night.
Like a prime thoroughbred that fires fresh, coach Nick Stiles has had Smith under wraps since he arrived from Japan. He didn't feature in the Global Tens and was held back from the trial against the Rebels, even if he wouldn't have minded getting some local miles under his legs.
But he has made it clear he's ready to not only perform but play long minutes for his new outfit, which has been tipped to be one of the major improvers in the five-team Australian conference.
"I hope they don't expect the George Smith of old. I've developed into a different player than I was in my past years. I feel I'm a more complete player these days. I may not be as fast as I was when I was 19 years old but I think I'm a lot smarter in the way I play the game," Smith said.
"And I read the game a lot better than I used to. I'd rather be the player I am now than I was a few years back."
The Reds had their moments in the Tens and were strong in their trial win against the Rebels. Now they need to deliver in round one against a typically powerful South African side that will be up a few sizes than most of Smith's recent opponents.
"You're tackling bigger guys, regularly over 100kg. In Japan, they're around the 90-80kg mark," said Smith, who was keen to put to rest any doubts about his stamina.
"I would have liked to play the trial but I have played a lot of games this year. I understand there is a concern about playing 80 minutes but that's from people that haven't seen me play in the past few weeks.
"The pace they play in Japan is extremely high. If you look at those games, those questions wouldn't arise."
With Queensland great Tim Horan urging Australian sides to play with more creativity and throw caution to the wind in attack, Smith has backed the Reds to leverage off the creativity of Quade Cooper and additional ball players like Karmichael Hunt, who has been a pre-season standout.
"What I've seen at training is the amount of talent in this squad ... I see attributes of different players that I quite like, the different skills they bring to the team. The fancy footwork, the nice passes ... the ability to see what others don't see," Smith said.
"There's no inhibition in the players but at the same time there is a role and a game plan. But I do like that there isn't too much inhibition in the way they play."
Off-season signings Stephen Moore, Scott Higginbotham and Quade Cooper (all former Reds) will start against the Sharks, while Adam Korczyk beat Henrik Tui for the number six jumper.
Queensland Reds Karmichael Hunt, Chris Kuridrani, Samu Kerevi, Duncan Paia'aua, Eto Nabuli, Quade Cooper, Nick Frisby, Scott Higginbotham, George Smith, Adam Korczyk, Kane Douglas, Rob Simmons, Sam Talakai, Stephen Moore, James Slipper (capt). Res: Andrew Ready, Markus Vanzanti, Sef Fa'agase, Izack Rodda, Hendrik Tui, James Tuttle, Jake McIntyre, Izaia Perese.
