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LOSING Israel Folau has not made the NSW Waratahs half the side, but their impregnable look now shows a crack for tomorrow night's smash-up derby against the Reds.
On the same day that top flanker Liam Gill was surprisingly released from sevens duties to the Reds bench, Folau was scratched to rest a corked thigh before the finals.
Gill is a kick of buzzsaw energy for the fierce forward battle against Waratahs skipper Michael Hooper.
Equally, the Reds' defence, the most fragile area of their game, has been spared the daunting task of muzzling fullback Folau, who has tormented rivals with 12 tries this season.
The Waratahs lost two out of three games without Folau when he had a throat injury. Minus that lethal weapon the sides are 10 points tighter on the scoreboard.
The margin between top footy sides is only ever a couple of per cent and often in the mental intensity brought to a gun fight like this one at Suncorp Stadium.
The clash has haunting similarities to league's midweek State of Origin clash on the same turf. One side in blue had the trophy locked up and less to play for. The other was stung, playing for pride and a roaring pit of home fans.
Liam Gill returns for the Reds on Saturday night. Source: News Limited
The top-ranked Waratahs are still heading into a replenishing week off and a packed house semi-final in Sydney on July 26 whether they win or lose by 20 points on Saturday night.
If that and losing Folau softens their intensity just a bit, the Reds are riled enough to reach a point in this game when an upset is possible.
The difference between league's Maroons and rugby's Reds is that there is no Inglis, Slater or Thurston.
The Reds are down on big weapons so it will truly take a team effort and every player bottling some of James Horwill's edge: "I just don't like losing against our oldest rivals."
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Horwill may do a Corey Parker for the old-and-bold with a blinder while line-busting 106kg centre Samu Kerevi and flanker Curtis Browning are the best chance for a rookie to arrive like Aidan Guerra.
"There are strong similarities for us as a Queensland team in terms of how much there is to play for," Reds coach Richard Graham said of the Origin comparison.
Graham said there would be no ill will towards Queensland stalwart Stan Pilecki when he presents the best player medal struck in his honour at the Reds Ball next month.
Pilecki's "disgust" at what he called a lack of effort in the poor loss in Perth last weekend has irked the Reds.
"Stan's Stan. He's a very passionate guy and bleeds Red but his comments were inaccurate," Graham said.
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