HE may be the shortest player in the Warriors team but what Shane Drahm lacks in height he makes up for with strength of character and a determination to stretch his rugby talent to the very limit.

The Sixways crowd could see only too well those traits last season as the 5ft 9ins outside-half went calmly about his job for Northampton in the face of unimaginable pressure.

Thankfully his kicking prowess on that day did not consign his soon-to-be employers to relegation, not least because Drahm can now strut his stuff on the biggest stage in the domestic game.

But the Queenslander did not join Worcester in the summer to fight another battle for Premiership survival.

"As a team we just wanted to improve on last year but personally I thought we had a lot of ability," said Drahm. "As we've seen already, there have been a lot of surprises. We know at Sixways we can compete with the top teams and not just try to stay up.

"We believe we are a top half of the ladder team this year, if not top four. We've just got to start playing like that really and not worry about being down the bottom.

"We've got to think about being consistent and getting towards that top six. As a long-term goal we are looking at the possibility of finals."

Warriors go into a two-week break from the Premiership sitting in fifth place in the table but all the noises from within the club suggest that performances are yet to live up to expectations.

Drahm is one of those players yet to hit top gear. Despite scoring more penalties than any other player in the league last season, he has had his preparations for the current campaign hampered by knee surgery in June.

So far he has not yet found the right formula with the kicking tee.

"I'm not where I would like to be," he said. "I'm just sort of getting back into it after the operation. I'm getting back to full fitness but I'm not there yet. It was hard coming back from that. But I'm getting more and more confidence each game.

"It set me back in a lot of ways, being out of action for a while, not getting my hands on the ball and not getting a proper pre-season with the kicking."

Being something of a perfectionist, Drahm decided to change his kicking style mid-way through last season. After the modifications, his success reached a staggering 93 per cent.

One of the problems Drahm faced was the need to re-train his mind and body after a long lay-off. Slowly but surely his technique is coming good and the consistency is returning.

Even when his goal-kicking is below par, Drahm has plenty to contribute for Warriors. His drop-kicking is as good as ever and his range of passing has given Warriors a new dimension.

Director of rugby John Brain has no doubts that the Aussie can play an important role in Worcester's continued progress.

He said: "I think it is early days for Shane. He has come back from knee surgery. I think it takes time but we're not unhappy with how he's played."

Tomorrow would be a good time for Drahm to show why the Sixways crowd got so excited about his arrival in Worcester.

Northampton are back in town and nobody needs reminding what he can do in that particular fixture.