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‘There’s no one better’: Ex-Wallaby weighs in on ‘McDermott conundrum’
By Finn Morton
After missing out on Wallabies selection earlier this month, Queensland Reds halfback Tate McDermott sent a message to Eddie Jones with an impressive performance in round seven.
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Wallabies coach Eddie Jones named a star-studded national squad earlier this month, ahead of a training camp on the Gold Coast.
While the squad boasts an exciting mix of experience and youth, there were a number of shocking omissions which came as a surprise to many.
Brumbies flyhalf Noah Lolesio has fallen behind rising star Carter Gordon in the Wallabies pecking order, while Reds duo Harry Wilson and Tate McDermott also missed out.
But all three players haven’t let this news define them.
Playing in a highly anticipated Australian derby on Friday night, Lolesio’s Brumbies recorded an emphatic 52-24 win over McDermott’s Reds at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium.
While the result would seemingly count against the Reds pair, former Wallaby Morgan Turinui praised McDermott for doing “things that no one else can do.”
“The McDermott conundrum around his selection or non-selection in the Wallabies squad is that his 50 metre try, he does things that no one else can do,” Turinui said on Stan Sport’s Between Two Posts.
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“What impressed me at least as much if not more so last night was his passing looked a little bit crisper, I liked his work off the deck, his core role.
Take a bow Tate McDermott 👏#REDvBRU #SuperRugbyPacific pic.twitter.com/f3CIhHCz99
— Super Rugby Pacific (@SuperRugby) April 7, 2023
“I think that’s probably where Nic White for example, or a Ryan Lonergan, might just shade him is their core role, the basics of their game.
“A running nine, there’s no one better – but the complete package, I think that’s where they want more from Tate.”
No. 8 Harry Wilson also silenced some critics with an impressive display, as he finished with the second-most tackles out of any Reds player with 13, and nine carries as well.
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As for Noah Lolesio, Turinui thought the star pivot was the player of the match against the Reds, while commentator Sean Maloney had him second in that race behind backrower Rob Valetini.
“Maybe there were conversations in the background, that Eddie has given those guys a call to say, ‘This is what I’m looking for, I want more urgency off the ball.’” He added.
“He’s talked all the time about work ethic, since he landed in late January, it’s about what players do off the ball, who can work harder, finding ways when you think you’re working as hard as you can to work even harder.
“Somewhere in his messaging to those players, that has to be there.”
The Queensland Reds will look to get their season back on track in round eight when they travel to Apia, Samoa, to take on Moana Pasifika.
As for the Brumbies, they’re set to host Fijian Drua at GIO Stadium on Friday evening.
