A wind-up or a reliable gauge on the Blues' plans?
When the squad regrouped yesterday, Luke McAlister ran at first five-eighths to raise speculation about his probable comeback this week from a fractured jaw.
Is that the plan for Friday's match against the Waratahs in Sydney or more a case of giving McAlister a hit-out before he visited the specialist oral surgeon for a clearance to return to rugby?
It was impossible to tell as the Blues had a swag of players on the injured, ill or convalescent list yesterday, a toll which may force them to take an extra forward as injury cover to Sydney.
Among those training on their own, rehabbing or watching the session were Troy Flavell, Ali Williams, Mike Noble, Daniel Braid, Steve Devine, Tasesa Lavea, Doug Howlett and Viliame Waqaseduadua.
It was an appropriate time, therefore, to give McAlister a run.
Coach David Nucifora was certain the five-eighths would be cleared to play on Friday but he would not disclose any of his selection ideas for the game.
"We probably won't name our team for a couple of days yet. We have got quite a few bumps and bruises so we did not want to commit people to positions just yet," he said.
The Blues would not do a huge amount of training this week because of the travel and short gap between matches.
Meanwhile, former All Black coach John Mitchell says the Waratahs are the most complete side in Australia and he envies their resources.
"Depth is what this competition is all about. We've never had depth from day one, whereas if you look at the Waratahs over the past three years they have been able to build that depth, and it's a pay-off, because whoever they put on is of the same quality," he said after watching the Waratahs dismember his Force side.
"They've grabbed a lot more composure as a group, while the younger guys, such as Sam Norton-Knight and Alex Kanaar, have brought in some energy.
"They have also a real balance in their scrum, while Rocky Elsom's demise [on the blindside] has brought Wycliff Palu back, and Palu has been able to give them a lot of momentum."
The Waratahs had enough depth to pick three Wallabies in their reserves in the last round and this week they will assess Lote Tuqiri's fitness after the Commonwealth Games before they decide on their backline formation.
If everyone is fit Wendell Sailor could be squeezed out.
McAlister's return a bright spot for injury-hit Blues
Luke McAlister
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