Castle Avenue to Queensland - Meet the Irishman ready to take on Super Rugby

In this business, you often reach for a pinch of salt when an athlete says they're 'taking every day as it comes’.

In the case of Cormac Daly, you fully believe it.

The Kildare man has taken the scenic route to professional rugby but, at the age of 25, he’s finally got his big shot, in a very unlikely place.

In October, the former Ireland Under-20 lock penned a two-year contract with the Queensland Reds, and is hoping to make his Super Rugby debut when they get their season under way against the Waratahs next Saturday.

It’s just over a year since Daly packed his bags and moved from Dublin to Sydney, swapping Clontarf for Coogee and the famous Randwick club, which has produced some of the biggest names in Australian rugby, such as Michael Cheika, George Gregan, Matt Giteau, Rocky Elsom and Eddie Jones.

Within a few months, Daly was a key player for Randwick and played every game as they won their first Shute Shield since 2004, scoring a try in the 17-15 win over Northern Suburbs in the final.

Those performances were enough to catch the eye of new Queensland Reds head coach - and former Ulster and Ireland coach - Les Kiss, who put a contract on the table.

"It was a bit surprising for me," Daly tells RTÉ Sport, as he recalls the day he was offered a Super Rugby deal.

"Obviously, I came over to Australia last January, friends were coming over and I got a bit of employment here and was playing a bit of rugby over here.

"One thing led to another, and I signed a contract last October, and have been up [in Brisbane] since, straight into it, but I’ve been enjoying it. It’s been really, really cool, it’s something not many Irish people get to do so I’m trying to grasp it and just enjoy it."

While this is his first full contract, he’s had