PLAYERS RETURN from Lions tours in all manner of conditions, both mentally and physically. Some take longer to recover than others. In Luke Fitzgerald’s case, he has begun to make good on his avowed intention to turn his acute disappointment into a source of positive energy.

Fitzgerald looked razor sharp on the Lions’ tour but having been laid low with a cold and then tried at inside centre against the Cheetahs – and as he acknowledged yesterday there was no way of breaking into the Jamie Roberts-Brian O’Driscoll midfield partnership – he was eventually brought into the second Test starting XV on the left wing after three appearances there on tour. However, he was judged more harshly than others when dropped for the third Test to afford Ugo Monye a chance of redemption after seemingly being held culpable for the first Boks’ try by JP Pietersen which Fourie du Preez set up off lineout ball.

“I don’t know, it was a strange one. I was obviously really disappointed to get dropped. I made one or two errors in the game which maybe cost me the position. It was pretty cut-throat stuff out there, and at the end of the day everyone came out looking well out of the last Test, because I felt they (the Springboks) didn’t really put out their strongest team; they changed a lot of their front-line guys. From a personal perspective it was disappointing. It was a good finish from a squad perspective but not from a personal one.”

Fitzgerald’s physical conditioning, speed, blinding footwork, line of running and offloading have all looked sharper than ever this season. “I made a conscious effort to really kick on and use it as a motivating factor for me. I suppose it could have gone two ways: I could have got down on myself and started doubting myself but I decided I’d work harder on my physical development and I decided I should back myself more and trust my own instincts. This year I’ve started to do that. I’ve only started a few games so I don’t want to jinx anything but I feel very strong and very confident at the moment.”

Although the issue for the management would merely appear to be accommodating Fitzgerald on the wing or in midfield, he can’t look much beyond “putting myself in with a shout of getting into the team for the Australia game. I think everyone has the same goals at this stage. And if I was involved I want to get my hands on the ball as much as possible. That’s one of the things I really targeted this year with Leinster, and if I’m picked for the team next week it’s something I’ll be really targeting, to try and get involved in the game as much as possible”.

Talking at length about the intense competition for places across the backline, he reckoned his versatility is a blessing. “My favourite position is actually fullback, but for some reason, no one wants to play me there,” he said, laughing. “I’ve got to bide my time because there is a lot of competition for that fullback spot. The real challenge for me playing as a winger is to get touches on the ball and get involved in the game. The centre I enjoy, but I’d probably consider myself an outside centre. Obviously there’s a certain number 13 who is immovable.”

With the talent available and the work-rate in the squad, coupled with last season’s successes, Fitzgerald agrees these November Tests all have to be regarded as winnable. “This team will be going out to win every match it’s playing. You’ve got to respect these guys. You can look at the history books but I don’t think it will really benefit us because we haven’t done so well against them. We’ll be trying to treat every game as an entity itself and we’ll try to win every game.”

That his erstwhile Leinster team-mate, Rocky Elsom, has been made Wallabies captain did not surprise Fitzgerald. “It is important you have leaders in the changing room who can say important things and who know when is the right time to say these things. Rocky is one of those guys. I remember in the Heineken Cup final he said some very good words after they had scored a try. He got the group together, himself and Leo (Cullen), and had some very good stuff to say to us and brought the squad together. He has a talent for leading, he’s good at picking and choosing when to make his comments.”