VIDEO: Why Reds are doubling up on captains again
An “incredibly hungry” Tate McDermott is determined to apply what he learned captaining the Wallabies when he resumes his job leading the Queensland Reds this season.
Reds boss Les Kiss announced McDermott and Liam Wright would continue as co-captains for their Super Rugby Pacific campaign, in their third season of sharing the role.
McDermott led the Wallabies against New Zealand in Dunedin last August and was part of the leadership team that took the side to their calamitous World Cup campaign in France.
But putting that behind him and learning from the lessons he was given is the new priority for the lightning-quick No.9.
“There was a lot of footy played and a lot of lessons learned,” he said.
“How I can bring the lessons I’ve learned over the last 12 months back into this environment is something I feel is really important for me and for this group.
“Those milestones are nice [and I was] extremely lucky and honoured to do something I never thought would happen.
“Obviously we had a lot going on [at the World Cup], so for us our mantra was just to solve problems. That’s something I’ll bring back here.”
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Kiss said the duo remained the right leaders for a side looking to rebound from a 5-9 campaign in which they struggled at times to be competitive.
“They are outstanding young men on and off the field, who share an immense passion for the team and the state of Queensland, and genuine care for our organisation and their peers,” Kiss said.
“They are determined to deliver for our fans and, supported by a squad rich in both potential and experience, they will wear our jersey with pride and do everything in their power to achieve success.”
McDermott and Wright have led the Reds to finals in each of their first two campaigns although they are yet to win a post-season match.
The halfback is keen to address that gap in his leadership credentials, beginning with trial games starting in a fortnight’s time, and described his team as “incredibly” hungry.
“We need to find out where the ceiling is for this squad and the boys have been working really hard to see what we can be,” McDermott said.
“That’s probably the one thing I’ve learned from a leadership perspective, you can’t make any promises.
“What I do know is we’ve got a game in two weeks and we’ll find out just how good we are then.”
The Reds start their 2024 campaign on February 24 against the Waratahs.
