Most eyes will be on Will Chambers' Queensland debut but Ewen McKenzie will be just as focussed on his old front-row position when the Reds meet the Crusaders on Friday night.

While McKenzie's major selection headaches rest with the composition of his backline, the Reds have five props all with genuine claims for two starting positions.

"That's right, that's the good thing this year, there's competition for spots all over the place," stand-in captain and loose-head Ben Daley said.

"You've got your big names in the backline and rightly so but everyone shouldn't just be talking about the backline, there's some exciting young blokes coming through.

"The platform has to be laid first so you can unleash those backs and that's what the goal's been in the pre-season."

After retaining the captaincy from the weekend's 26-24 opening trial win over NSW, Daley appears to have gained the inside rail for the No.1 jersey ahead of former Wallabies prop Greg Holmes.

Holmes (ribs) is currently sidelined and racing to be fit for the final pre-season clash with the Western Force on February 5.

Competition is even more intense on the other side of the front-row where Dayna Edwards, Jack Kennedy and Australian Super 14 rookie of 2009 Laurie Weeks are fighting it out.

With Weeks out with a knee injury, Edwards will start against the Crusaders at Ballymore with the versatile Kennedy coming off the bench.

McKenzie's 51 Test caps of front-row experience has been a huge benefit for the Reds front-rowers, not to mention the input from former Wallabies scrum doctor Alec Evans.

Son of Manly league great Phil, Daley laughed when asked whether Evans, a renowned hard-nut, had softened with age.

"No, he's getting more and more - what's the word? - demanding I think but it's good to have someone pushing people to be the best they can be," the 21-year-old said.

Recruited from NRL premiers Melbourne Storm, Chambers will line up at outside centre at Ballymore in his first rugby match in four years.

McKenzie is yet to decide where the 21-year-old, who has trained on the wing and in the centres, will be best suited in the 15-man code.

Chambers' hopes of grabbing a starting berth for the Super 14 opener against NSW on February 13 depends as much how the Reds most exciting backs slot into a backline missing former general Berrick Barnes.

Quade Cooper and Digby Ioane starred in the centres during the Wallabies Grand Slam tour but like fellow tourists Peter Hynes, Luke Morahan and Richard Kingi can play in multiple positions.

Cooper and Ioane will miss Friday's trial, but their absence gives extra opportunities to playmakers Ben Lucas and Tim Walsh and centres Morgan Turinui and Anthony Faingaa.

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