DREW Hickey talks an impressive game.

The Australian will, however, be desperate to put some of those words into practice on Saturday when his former employers come to town.

Orrell arrive at Sixways still smarting from Hickey's summer departure when he swapped one promotion contender for another in the hope of Premiership rugby.

The reaction from Edge Hall Road was one of disgust with cries that the former Sydney University man had deserted his old coach -- Ross Reynolds -- for nothing but cold, hard cash.

"It's just nonsense," said Hickey as he reflected on the move this week.

"Anybody that knows me knows that I'm not driven by money. It was a rugby decision, pure and simple.

"Anyone could have come to me and offered £200,000 but if the team and the club are not good enough then you are not going to progress. I wouldn't have moved for any amount of money if I didn't feel I would have grown as a player.

"I believed that Worcester offered me the chance to expand in areas that I don't think I could have at Orrell. This club is on the verge of something special here and, after speaking to players like Ben Hinshelwood, I knew this club could take me to new levels of performance.

"The days of players growing up in a local area and then playing for their home town club for the rest of their careers have somewhat diminished, especially in the professional era.

"There is a lot more player movement now, not just in this country but globally. You only have to look at the Premiership to see that. People at Orrell were very disappointed with me when I left but I hadn't been there for a long time. It's not as if I'd been there for years and years.

"You can't do anything about the way it is played out with the Press or public opinion, it's not something you can impact on. The best way is to just go out on to the field and play well."

Hickey is still unsure just when he'll be able to do that after suffering a pre-season shoulder injury at Neath-Swansea. He faces a fitness test tomorrow and if he comes through that he can look forward to a place on the bench.

"I think, if it was against a different opposition, then I wouldn't have put myself under the same amount of pressure to make the match," he said.

"I'm desperate to play because it's Orrell. It's going to be a tough game because both sides have big ambitions this season. What it will come down to on the day is who makes the best decisions and executes them properly."

The 25-year-old moved to England a year ago when his former Sydney coach Reynolds took him on as part of his Orrell revolution.

The number eight quickly made a name for himself as a key decision maker within Orrell's make-up and a keen student of the game. So much so that when an option in this contract became clear, Worcester swooped to make him their biggest name summer capture.

"I had a very close relationship with Ross Reynolds," added Hickey.

"But, at the end of the day, sometimes change is the best thing you can do. To a certain extent, we'd got as much out of each other as we could and it was time to move on.

"I think more and more players now are thinking about how they play the game and how they can improve.

"I'm probably more of a team player that tries to devolve tactics that will be successful. I enjoy that aspect of the game. Maybe I see things that other people don't."

With the commerce graduate's inside knowledge of his former club, he could yet turn out to be a match winner even though he may not be on the field.

"I know Orrell's individual players quite well and their games. In saying that, though, Ross will know I will be looking at his players and will ask them to adapt their games.

"For us, it's important to focus somewhat on their abilities and then ask them questions. Then we will see if they have the answers.

"It is all about performance. It is a process and if we perform the basics well and with composure then we will be happy come the end of the game."