Reds bank on Turner to turbocharge star backline Queensland Reds recruit Lachie Turner at Ballymore yesterday. Picture: Annette Dew Source: TheAustralian RUGBY UNION: The Queensland Reds will trial NSW wing recruit Lachie Turner at fullback as they plan to boost their flagging attack with extra speed. A surprise defector from the Waratahs after two injury-affected Super Rugby seasons, Turner made a fresh start as a Red yesterday at the first day of pre-season training. The 15-Test Wallabies speedster revealed it was his desire to combine with the likes of Will Genia and Quade Cooper in a Wallaby-laden backline that led to his two-year deal. "It was a big inspiration for me in coming up here, a big reason for it," he said. Turner said new coach Richard Graham's expansive vision also "sold" him on the move after a torn hamstring and broken leg ruined his past two seasons. Kurtley Beale's return to the Waratahs may have made it tougher to return to NSW's back three. Turner, 26, knows he will have a tough job to earn and keep his Reds' spot, with Dom Shipperley and Chris Feauai-Sautia boasting wing Test caps and speedster Rod Davies set to return from a knee reconstruction. But Graham foreshadowed a possible move away from the sideline, where he's been viewed as France-bound Digby Ioane's replacement. "I'd like to see how he trains over the next three months," the coach said. I see him playing 15 equally as well as he does on the wing. The Reds want to play an exciting brand and Lachie with his skill set -- he's a big man, he's tall, he's quick and loves being involved -- will really suit our game in that outside channel. Turner interchanged between fullback and wing in his first two seasons at the Waratahs in 2008-09 and is open to the move. If he did beat the likes of Ben Lucas, Aidan Toua and Mike Harris to fullback, it would give them a super-pacey back three and force Cooper to defend in the front line. The mercurial five-eighth has muscled up at No 10 for the Wallabies in the past four Tests and Graham said he'd never harboured concerns about Cooper's tackling. A bigger worry for Reds fans has been the loss of their try-scoring potency from the 2011 title triumph, lighting up the code as competition entertainers. Last season, they scored the fourth least tries of all teams, with just 31 from 17 games as stout defence saw them finish fifth. Graham argued only slight changes were needed, starting with better interplay between forwards and backs. The Reds face a testing start to next season, with just one home match in the opening six rounds. The draw for next season, which runs from February 15 until August 2, has been released with the Australian action starting on February 22 with a Canberra clash between the Reds and Brumbies. The Brisbane-based franchise then tackles arch-rivals the Waratahs in Sydney and Cheetahs at Suncorp Stadium, before travelling to South Africa for games against the Sharks and Lions. "Four out of our first five games will be on the road, which will give this young group the chance to spend a lot of time together and develop a good understanding of the direction on and off the field," Graham said. The Waratahs don't leave Australia until round seven, when they face the Sharks in Durban on March 29. Beale is set for grudge matches against the Melbourne Rebels in rounds six and 15, while if Sonny Bill Williams joins the Chiefs as expected, his battle with fellow code-hopper Israel Folau on May 31 will be one to watch.