With the Reds apparently in a race to sign the former league star along with the Melbourne Rebels, Mckenzie hopes that his side's improvement this season will put them in pole position, even outweighing the riches offered in France.

"It depends what it gets down to for Mark," McKenzie told Fox Sports. "The Rebels can offer Mark a new environment, but that's about it. We've seen a bunch of names on a piece of paper, but we haven't seen the Rebels play.Maybe Mark would want to go to a team with a history of football, but that's for him to decide.

"Mark needs to make a decision on whether he stays in Europe and a lot depends on his discussions with the ARU. There could be other clubs in France that want him, so he needs to make a philosophical decision about whether he wants a crack at the Wallabies or not. Until that gets resolved, we'll keep our powder dry and see what happens."

Freier is out for up to two weeks with a hamstring strain while Kepu's torn thigh is set to rule him out for a month.

"It's not been great, I've been under the weather a little bit recently and had to undergo a number of tests, but I'd say that I've turned the corner now," he said. "It hasn't been easy, and it's disappointing that it came at what has been a busy time, but there's not a lot that you can do about it, you've got to listen to the doctors and take the tests and medication.

"I'm still helping, doing my bit to help as we go into the business end of the Magners League, but the coaching team are doing a great job. We have the structures and systems in place, everybody knows what they are doing, and we are working together to the same aim.Now that the doctors are in a position where they have identified what the issue is and are working to put it right, it will take a lot to stop me from getting back to normal."