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WESTERN Force star James O'Connor will officially begin pre-season training tomorrow and he is bringing his little brother with him.
Treading the same path the Force and Wallabies wonder boy took when he moved west from the Gold Coast in 2008, Jonny O'Connor has a trial with the Force and will train with both the main and academy squads.
Fans can only hope talent runs in the blood as the prospect of seeing double looms.
"We play in the same positions and he's a very similar build, so if he gets a good pre-season behind him hopefully he'll be rivalling me for a position," James O'Connor said.
"There's a lot of guys that have moved to Perth and it's like a big family, so it's a great environment to start your rugby career in.
"But he's going to have to prove himself like I guess I did."
The O'Connors are yet to play in the same team, but shared a rivalry typical of brothers growing up.
"We always played in the backyard together, and growing up he was probably my biggest competitor, so it would be good to play alongside him," James said.
"I was always a little older, so whenever I needed a bit of tackling practice in the backyard he was always there.
"When we were younger it was a good confidence boost for myself, but since high school it's been pretty even.
"He's a competitive little bugger. He's going to be bigger than me I think."
Fellow Wallabies Nathan Sharpe, David Pocock, Matt Hodgson, Richard Brown and Ben McCalman will also return to Force training tomorrow.
James O'Connor said he was refreshed after a five-week break.
Ahead lies a massive year that begins with an expanded Super 15 competition and climaxes with the World Cup in New Zealand.
"I just wanted to get away from rugby altogether, so I had a good break and didn't do much physical work at all," he said.
"I'm pretty eager to get back and get into top shape."
O'Connor predicted the Force was in for an exciting season under new coach Richard Graham and a host of new assistants, with the utility back keen to take on more responsibility.
"It's going to be wherever it's best for the team, but I'd like to take more of a playmaking role, like I did last year, and move maybe to 12 or 15," he said.
"There's a new program in place, so I'm looking forward to seeing how it all unfolds."
article....http://www.perthnow.com.au/sport/rug...-1225984367372
"Remember lads, rugby is a team game; all 14 of you make sure you pass the ball to ..........." 
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