Has Australian rugby logjammed its five-eighths at the Queensland Reds?
Former Wallabies coach Robbie Deans dismissed suggestions Australia had failed in its development of five-eighths by congesting the talent, believing a looming Queensland logjam will foster the nation’s next long-term No.10.
Deans, now the director of rugby at Saitama Wild Knights, watched 18-year-old Queenslander Finn Mackay lay on four tries last month in the Reds’ 59-19 triumph over the Japanese club, adding his name to the club’s list of chief playmakers.
“He’s a very young man, but if you’re good, you’re good,” Deans said.
Queensland Reds rookie five-eighth Finn Mackay.Credit: Reds Media
“They’ll manage his physical entry, and the good thing is he’s going into an established group, which makes a big difference.”
As the Wallabies struggle to lock down a successor for Noah Lolesio following the Gold Coast product’s defection to Japanese rugby, Reds coach Les Kiss will face a similar dilemma come the 2026 Super Rugby Pacific campaign.
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Mackay will vie with Carter Gordon, Tom Lynagh, Harry McLaughlin-Phillips and Fiji veteran Ben Volavola for game time, presenting little opportunity for the rookie to be thrown into the furnace.
However, Kiss has backed the teenager – signed on a development deal – to thrive if called upon, having shown he was “unafraid to bring his voice” surrounded by more senior men.
“He’s a wise head on young shoulders. What happens next year we don’t know, but that competition is vital,” Kiss, who will take the Wallabies’ reins mid-next year, said of Mackay.
