Super-sub Adam Wallace-Harrison jumped on the Reds' bandwagon two years ago when Phil Mooney's "battling entertainers" grabbed his attention from afar in Japan.

Now the reactivated lineout specialist looms as a major second-half weapon against a Blues' outfit, desperate to end an 11-year foreign hoodoo in Super Rugby play-offs.

Wallace-Harrison, 31, has been a revelation for table-topping Queensland as an impact player who has regularly dismantled opposition lineouts.

His efforts were highlighted by a 78th-minute steal which led to a match-winning try to Dom Shipperley against the Western Force last month, and the Blues' set-piece looks vulnerable to key turnovers on Saturday night.

A second-row injury crisis leaves All Black Ali Williams as their only specialist lock and Blues' skipper Keven Mealamu admits he'll have his hands full throwing against four Reds' jumpers, plus Wallace-Harrison off the bench.

Hooker Mealamu said they will try to keep the ball in play rather than kick for the sideline, but that won't stop the Reds trying to expose the visitors' lineout in the second half.

Queensland coach Ewen McKenzie expects that's where Wallace-Harrison can come into his own when he takes over the calling from Rob Simmons.

"He's been a key figure (off the bench) on lots of occasions," McKenzie told AAP. "He's been an excellent acquisition."

The former Brumbies' forward only joined the Reds this year after three seasons with Japanese club NTT Communications, playing alongside Mark Gerrard and Craig Wing, but was attracted to Queensland's young side when they finished second last in 2009 under Mooney.

"The state of rugby then was pretty boring really and, being from the Brumbies, I kept an eye on them but the team you really wanted to watch would be the Reds because they were so entertaining and doing stuff off the cuff," Wallace-Harrison said.

"It wasn't all just set-piece and field position. The Reds would play entertaining rugby and move the ball around."

Once McKenzie, his former Australia A mentor, signed as coach in late 2009, the 200cm-tall lock-flanker immediately approached him and signed on for a return home.

"As it turned out, they had a really good 2010 year (finishing fifth) and I've been able to jump in off the back of that success," Wallace-Harrison said.

"It's my first taste of finals so it's very exciting but I couldn't have scripted it any better."

While the Reds' pack has the edge in the lineout, the Blues aim to dominate the scrum battle with Queensland missing tighthead prop James Slipper.

"Every game starts up front and, if we can do that well and get the right outcomes out of that, we can slow it down for Will (Genia) and Quade (Cooper)," said Mealamu.

The last team to win a play-off overseas was the Crusaders when they upset the Brumbies in the 2000 final in Canberra.

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