Queensland are egging on NSW to buck the trend and unleash their "expensive and exciting" backline in Saturday night's Super 14 grudge match.

With former Reds favourite son Berrick Barnes piloting the Waratahs, plus new speedsters Drew Mitchell and Soseni Anesi out wide, NSW have the weapons to cash in on their powerhouse pack at Suncorp Stadium.

Normally Templeton Cup encounters are fiery and rugged affairs that can get bogged down in close combat between large, physical packs.

Queensland playmaker Quade Cooper niggled the Waratahs before the 2009 interstate clash, won 15-11 by NSW, as being boring but 11 months on he's savouring the thought of a more open affair.

Cooper talked up the attacking ingenuity of Barnes, skill of Kurtley Beale and pace of the dangerous back three of Mitchell, Anesi and Test winger Lachie Turner and felt their talent couldn't be ignored.

"If you are looking at the players they have they're all players with a lot of skill, there's a lot of speed and they can definitely throw the ball around," he said.

"They've got a lot of pace and flamboyance and will look to run around us a fair bit - there will be nothing boring about the way they play I'm thinking.

"I hope it's a positive game and we can get the crowd into it.

"To see the ball thrown around a bit will be good for everyone spectating."

Cooper and creative Wallabies halfback Will Genia have their own danger men to utilise with Test pair Digby Ioane and Peter Hynes given roving commissions.

Former NSW coach Ewen McKenzie, a noted hoodoo breaker, has the job of ending Queensland's five-year drought against his old team and has been happy to ramp up the expectations surrounding the Waratahs.

"They have spent a lot of money making a big investment so we'll see," he said.

"It's quite clear they have a very strong forward pack and it will be interesting to see if they play predominantly up front, play out wide or a mixture."

NSW were the fourth-worst attacking side of 2009, averaging 18 points a game, which ultimately cost them a semi-finals finish as just five more points - one try - would have moved them into fourth place.

Coach Chris Hickey and captain Phil Waugh on Friday both lamented their inability to convert pressure into points when they consistently dominated possession and territory.

"It's a more skilled game (this year)," he said of his side's play. "Last year we left a lot of opportunities out on the field and didn't nail them, it's about executing our skills."

Reds skipper James Horwill denied Barnes would be targeted in his return to Suncorp Stadium, where a crowd of 25,000 is expected to give the five-eighth a hot reception.

There are a host of big head-to-head tussles between Wallabies, particularly Cooper v Barnes, Genia v Luke Burgess, Horwill v Dean Mumm and Ioane v Turner.

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