Arguably one of the most exciting young talents in Queensland Rugby, 21-year old Floyd Aubrey said he’s growing in confidence every week in the GPS backline. 

Aubrey made his Super Rugby debut off the bench for the Reds earlier this year, but said he’s focus is at Yoku Road for the time being and a blockbuster clash against Wests this weekend. 

“Getting a chance to play Super Rugby was mad,” Aubrey told Rugby News. 

“It was crazy to look up and see guys like Rieko Ioane, Caleb Clarke and Mike Tele’a on the other side of the field. It was a spin out but I loved every moment of it. 

“It was a great experience and it’s something I want to do a lot more of. But for now, I’ve just got to focus on doing my best for Jeeps and training hard at the Reds.”

A schoolboy star at Marist Ashgrove, Aubrey joined the Reds after finishing school and said he’s looking forward to repaying the club for the faith they’ve shown in him in the early stages of his career. 

“Off the field, I’m spending a lot of time in the gym to try and get stronger then on the field, I’ve been working on my fundamentals. My kicking, passing, defence,” he said. 

“I’m happy to play anywhere they need me, but I feel most comfortable at fullback. You can just sort of float around and slide in when and where you want and I think that suits my game.”

Aubrey scored a try in GPS’ 26-17 loss to Bond on the Gold Coast last weekend. It was a game the fullback thought his side should have won. 

“We played well in the first half but the momentum swung in the second half and we did all the defending deep in our territory. 

“They got on top from there and then we made mistakes which they took advantage of.”

But Aubrey said he’s confident something special is brewing at Yoku Road and said his side has a good chance to prove their premiership credentials against an undefeated Bulldogs outfit on Saturday. 

“We’ve got a lot of good young fellas pushing into first grade. Bas Ward at No.10 is a really good player. Jakob Morrison is strong at No.9 and we’ve developed a good connection this year. 

“Shaun Anderson and Campbell Moller are doing a really good job as well. 

“Then we’ve got experienced guys like Matty Giquel and Nick Baker. 

“Our reserve grade is pretty stacked as well, especially in the backs, so we’ve got some good depth at the club.”

After their second loss of the season, Jeeps sit six competition points behind last year’s grand finalists, who are undefeated and lead the competition after five rounds. 

But Aubrey said he thinks his side can cause an upset at home this weekend. 

“We’ve just got to focus on the basics and play nice and direct against Wests. We need to be smart and play in their half and kick to get out of our half,” he said. 

“They’ve got a quality backline. Louie (Louis Werchon) at No.9, Mase (Mason Gordon) at No.10 and David Vaihu in the centres. It’s a strong side but I back our guys to beat them.”

In the rounds other matches, UQ host Souths, Sunnybank play Easts and Brothers face Bond.