\u201cOnce I get back on the field I can look to address that,\u201d McDermott said, having spent the past two years as a momentum-shifter off the bench.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is a long time to lead as a halfback, but it gives me a chance to make sure I can be a little more selfish in terms of my injury and make sure I\u2019m fully right physically and mentally to attack the back end of the year.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you\u2019ve got your mind on too many different things, it\u2019s really hard to grow in certain areas, and now it gives me a really good chance to hone in on some of those areas.\u201d<\/p>\n
As McDermott continues his recovery, McReight took his first strides as skipper \u2013 a 36-12 season-opening defeat to the Waratahs. But according to Harry Wilson, the captaincy would bring out the best in the superstar flanker.<\/p>\n
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Wilson, the incumbent Wallabies captain, has been a close friend of McReight\u2019s dating back to their schoolboy rugby days, and the pair have forged one of the more lethal back-row combinations in Super Rugby.<\/p>\n
The reigning World Rugby No.8 of the Year \u2013 who will miss the opening rounds after undergoing off season knee surgery \u2013 declared McReight would not only find an extra gear as a leader, but ignite the best in those around him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhatever team he\u2019s in he leads from the front … so nothing changes too much for him,\u201d Wilson said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s probably hard for him to keep finding extra gears because he\u2019s probably been the best player in Super Rugby for a few years now, but I think the extra responsibility will only bring out more from him.<\/p>\n
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\u201cI think for \u2018Wrongers\u2019 it\u2019s about just trying to get his body right, and once he does that then he\u2019s the type of player who could go wherever he wanted to,\u201d McDermott said of the one-time Wallabies captain.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s huge shoes to fill, he was someone who was here with me from the start and there are not many boys from when I started left. His presence around the group is really hard to replicate.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s on everyone else in leadership roles to step up because he used to do quite a lot of work behind the scenes,\u201d Wilson added.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s now the chance for the next generation of leaders.\u201d<\/p>\n
McReight will lead the team onto Suncorp Stadium for the first time on February 27 when the Reds clash with the Highlanders, having lost their campaign launch against the Waratahs.<\/p>\n