Wallabies halfback Will Genia says Quade Cooper will get plenty of team support when he returns for the Queensland Reds in Friday night's rugby trial against the Western Force.

Genia and five eighth Cooper promise to form an exiting scrumbase partnership for the underdog Reds in the Super 14 season, starting next week with the big match against fierce rivals the NSW Waratahs.

But Cooper will be taking the field on Friday for his first match since being charged with burglary on the Gold Coast late last year.

The Wallabies pivot was only cleared to play on Wednesday after completing the first stage of a counselling and personal development program.

"It's good to have him back. He brings in a lot of experience and a lot of flair," Genia said.

"All the boys are here for him. It's good he's back playing.

"If we can help him get through what he's going through we will.

"We are a pretty tight playing group so we will be there for him."

The Force have suffered a double injury blow on the eve of the trial match, with former Springboks flyhalf Andre Pretorius (hamstring) and centre Ryan Cross (abdominal strain) ruled out as a precaution.

Former Wallaby Mark Bartholomeusz will replace Pretorius in the No.10 jersey for the match against the Reds but the Force are hopeful both Pretorius and Cross will be fit for the season opener against the Brumbies on February 12.

Winger Haig Sare is only a 50-50 chance to take on the Brumbies as he battles an ongoing Achilles tendon injury while fellow speedster Nick Cummins is still several weeks away from resuming as he recovers from a leg injury.

The Reds won just three games last season on the way to 13th place on the table but have recorded an impressive pre-season campaign under new coach Ewen McKenzie, recording a 26-24 win over NSW before beating an understrength Crusaders outfit 20-12.

While Genia admitted pre-season wins counted for little, he said the confidence gained from them could prove invaluable.

"It's the first time we've (won) back-to-back in a while so it's an exciting feeling and definitely a good feeling," he said.

"The result does matter, you don't want to lose any games, but I think it's more important to get our processes right and get what we want out of the game.

"We've done a lot of work (defensively).

"We are trusting our systems.

"If you do that you go a long way to beating a lot of sides."

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