Huxley was tossed into the firing line at flyhalf for the majority of last night's match between the Brumby Runners and Sydney club side West Harbour.

Six days prior the 30-year-old ran amok in his first competitive game in almost two years, setting up five of his side's six tries.

Last night was a different story as signs of rust, a move into pivot and a lack of match fitness took its toll.The Runners ran out comfortable 29-5 winners, but all eyes were on Huxley as he made a bold bid to earn selection for Friday night's clash with the Waikato Chiefs at Canberra Stadium.Those hopes appear to be dashed after Friend, among the several hundred-strong crowd at the game, expressed caution at rushing Huxley before he was ready.

''He prefers to play at fullback, but it was good to get him in the firing line and get him some more traffic,'' Friend said.

''You can see he's willing, he probably just needs a few more games.

''He's still got a lot of ability, but some of his timing's out, just needs to continue to work on that.''In a scrappy encounter dominated by the referee's whistle, the Runners prevailed 29-5.

After throwing the final pass for his side's first try, Huxley was moved out of his customary fullback position.It was Huxley's second game back since 2008, when a brain tumour threatened to put a premature end to his career which included playing nine Tests for the Wallabies.

In his first game in Canberra since that fateful night in 2008, when he discovered he had a brain tumour, Huxley conceded he was slowly regaining full fitness.''The only time I think you feel ready for Super 14 is when you've played a few weeks in a row,'' he said. ''I was a bit leg weary tonight and struggled a bit but hopefully I get used to that and get game fit.''Prop Guy Shepherdson made his claim for a Super 14 recall with a solid 70 minute performance.

The 28-year-old lost his starting spot to Selasi Ma'afu after the round one win over the Western Force, and was left out of the 22 completely for Friday night's trip across the Tasman to face the Auckland Blues.

Uncapped forward Jerry Yanuyanutawa took Shepherdson's place on the bench for the 39-34 defeat. Shepherdson was coy about his chances of earning a recall.

For more, pick up a copy of today's Canberra Times.