Western Force coach Richard Graham says Cameron Shepherd's drink driving conviction hasn't been a distraction to the team as they prepare to rise out of the Super rugby cellar.

The Force finished second-last in 2010 and are desperate to get off on the right foot and be competitive with their Australian rivals in the competition's new conference system.

Shepherd was given a two-match suspended sentence for bringing the game into disrepute, and will be free to play in the club's trial match against the Waratahs on Thursday and in the first match of the season proper against Queensland.

The Wallabies star was convicted by Perth Magistrates Court for driving under the influence and driving while suspended in December last year.

The Force are desperate to turn over a new leaf this year, after a horror season for injuries and results.

However, in regards to Shepherd, Graham said his actions had been well and truly forgiven and hadn't impacted on his team-mates.

"No, we put him in quarantine for a couple of weeks, he's fantastic," said Graham.

"I haven't seen it as a distraction to himself or anyone else in the squad.

"It's been dealt with and he's really looking forward to playing on Thursday."

Graham indicated that Shepherd would be keen to make a strong statement in his opening matches to make up for his mistake to team-mates.

"He's definitely had a good pre-season. He's in good physical shape at the moment and he's very, very motivated to do well," he said of Shepherd, who will be eager to force his way into world cup calculations.

Force captain Nathan Sharpe agreed that Shepherd has handled the incident professionally and that it hadn't unsettled the West Australian team's preparations.

"He's handled it really well. He's been fantastic with the way he's gone about it and it hasn't been a problem for any of us," Sharpe said.

"It's just good it's out of the way now and he can get on with what he wants to do, play rugby."

Speaking at the launch of the expanded Super 15s competition on Tuesday, coach Graham said star James O'Connor would be given a licence to roam this year.

O'Connor is likely to start the year at fullback, but could pop up at five-eighth and inside centre during the season.

"He's going to be the bloke that touches the ball more times than anyone else," Graham assured.

"It's up to the other players in the group, if the rest of the players play well they can command a spot, if not, well there's some pressure on them from James.

"We've obviously got some structure he needs to conform to ... but a lot of the work we're doing with him at the moment allows him to play in the front line as much as he wants, so he's got a licence to roam."

The Force open their Super 15 campaign on Sunday week.

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