As the Blue and Blacks prepare for their New Year’s Day fixture against Ospreys at Brewery Field tomorrow, centre Mason Grady says that confidence is high in the squad.
Cardiff enter the fixture on the back of a crushing victory over Dragons RFC on Boxing Day, where they ran in nine tries in a dominant display over their nearest rivals.
Although Grady realises it will not be a copy and paste match up against Ospreys, the result has been a huge boost for the team.
“It's just a really enjoyable place to be at the moment,” said Grady.
“All the boys are playing for each other and when you're out there winning by 50 points at half time it’s bound to be an enjoyable experience. I didn't get a try but I'm glad we pumped the Dragons.
“Down the Brewery Field, it’ll be a different sort of game. Hopefully the weather stays nice and dry, but we've got a game plan for either way.
“If it's wet and windy, we've got a game plan for that, and we're just going to back ourselves and not worry about the Ospreys too much and just play our game and I think that's been working well this season.”
This season, Grady has switched to the wing after playing the majority of his senior career at centre, but since Head Coach, Matt Sherrat, moved him to the outside, his athleticism, pace and power has been a weapon for Cardiff.
Although he still hopes to move back into the centres in the future, Grady has enjoyed the move out wide and has leant on Josh Adams for some advice.
“Jadsy has been really helpful. I haven't had many games on the wing, but this season he's just been giving me little tips, little things I can do better. It's been really good learning from him.
“It's a lot easier to defend on the wing than centre, but I feel like I've got a bit more freedom out wide and I can show what I do best a little better and a little bit more often.
“In defence you have to make a few more decisions at centre, there are a few more 50-50s, a few more situations where you have to decide what to do.
“I'm still keen to learn the defence at 13, but at the moment, I’m on the wing. I'm enjoying it.”
The Cardiff squad is packed full of young talent who have been thrust into first team action this year. Many of the players, however have played with and against each other throughout the youth groups.
Grady believes it has created a cohesiveness in the squad which has not only helped with the camaraderie but also sped up their development.
“As a young player like myself it's just about getting game time and getting as many minutes under my belt as possible and at the moment getting that and playing a bit more with a bit more confidence and a bit more enjoyment.
“I’m with the boys, I’m with my mates playing rugby and I'm really enjoying it at the moment.
“For me it's playing with boys I've grown up playing with, they're all starting to come through now and I look around and I’m playing with players like Evan Lloyd who I've played with since the under 11s, Teddy I've played with in school, Alex Mann, Cam Winnett. It's just nice to be playing with boys I know.
“I played with Theo at school as well, we were in the same year but different schools, but he used to beat me in all the races.”