Andrew Kellaway will provide the Waratahs with yet another attacking option in 2015 © ARU

Enlarge

Already boasting a swathe of try-scoring talent, New South Wales Waratahs will have another attacking option at their disposal in 2015 in rising star Andrew Kellaway.

While the Waratahs' Wallabies representatives settled into their off-season at the conclusion of the spring tour the rest of the NSW squad have been sweating it out in the Sydney sun. And it's been a sharp learning curve for Kellaway, the winger admitting the step up in intensity had been a necessary evil.

"The intensity, definitely. We've been going flat out for four weeks straight, and I think it's been the most intense four weeks of my life. So that probably the biggest change," Kellaway told waratahs.com.au

"I feel good, very physically fit. I'm probably the fittest I've felt in my rugby career so I'm really happy with where I'm at, but there is always room to improve."

Kellaway caught the attention of the rugby world with a standout performance at the Junior World Championship in New Zealand last year. The red-haired flyer scored 10 five-pointers to break the tournament's try-scoring record previously held by All Blacks winger Julian Savea and another Kiwi, Zac Guildford.

The 19-year-old then starred for NSW Country Eagles in the inaugural National Rugby Championship, underlining his finishing ability with a competition-high nine tries. And speaking to ESPN after four five-pointers in the Eagles' first two NRC games, it was clear a Waratahs debut in 2015 was already on the youngster's mind.

"It's been terrific so far and great to test myself against some of these guys," Kellaway told ESPN of the NRC. "I'd love to start playing with [the Waratahs] and I think the standard of the NRC has already proven it's at a high enough level. We'll leave those decisions up to Michael Cheika."

Kellaway is certainly down the pecking order for a wing spot at the Waratahs with Wallabies Peter Betham and Rob Horne all but certain starters on the flanks. But he could well be a viable bench option and with the ever-present threat of injury, his time could come sooner than expected.

For now, Kellaway said he was happy feeding off the wealth of experience in the Waratahs squad. "It's been really good, there's so much experience here," he told waratahs.com.au "This is really priceless, you can't learn this stuff from a coach, it's the stuff you need to learn from blokes who have been here, there and everywhere. It's been really enlightening some of the experiences of the older players in their careers and I can hopefully use that for mine and develop those skills for the future."