‘It came off my pelvis’: Wallaby’s return from gruesome injury takes shape

Wallabies halfback Tate McDermott has warned he will return to the field a more daunting prospect than before he suffered a gruesome injury, but admits he remains unclear on when that comeback will be.

Never has McDermott been forced to spend this length of time on the sidelines.

So severe was the hamstring injury he sustained during Australia’s Bledisloe Cup clash with the All Blacks last year, the muscle tore completely from his pelvis and needed to be reattached.

That setback, and further complications with his recovery, have kept him from featuring in the Queensland Reds’ Super Rugby Pacific campaign thus far.

But a glimmer of hope beckons.

“You probably can’t see it, but I’ve been in the gym for quite a while and have definitely gotten a lot stronger – the metrics across the board are trending up, the body composition is in a good spot, and the fitness will come with the more running load I can handle,” McDermott said.

“It’s been a long journey. I remember speaking to media earlier on, and I was really positive with how I was going. But we had a couple of little setbacks … when it came off my pelvis, they had to staple it back on, and then all the complications with learning to run again and making sure the muscles don’t do too much or too little.

“The hamstring that I got reattached wasn’t doing what it was supposed to do, but I’m feeling really good now. I still can’t give you an exact date, but I’m hoping to get a game in before the regular season finishes.”

McDermott has been joined in Queensland’s recovery ward by five-eighth Tom Lynagh, who has played just 18 minutes this year due to hamstring issues, illness, and now a calf complaint. 

The 22-year-old had become a leading contender to take the Wallabies’ five-eighth duties long-term when he started in two Tests against the British and Irish Lions before suffering injury and concussion setbacks, with McDermott adamant the pair’s combination was “the relationship that has to stay together”.

As he sought to make an impact off the field, McDermott revealed he had taken insights from former Reds co-captain and Wallabies skipper Liam Wright, who endured a horrifying injury toll before leaving Ballymore at the end of the 2025 campaign.

As Wright rehabbed his way through eight major surgeries, he sought to become something of a player-coach to the younger members of the Reds’ squad, a role McDermott has taken on board.

“The goal to come back a better player than when I got injured is at the top of my list. I haven’t been in my suit too often, so the challenge has been doing the corporate suites, to be honest,” McDermott said.

“My co-captain was injured for the four years that I was with him, and to see what he did when he wasn’t playing, now it’s my turn to try to bear the load a little bit.”

McDermott was speaking from Redcliffe’s Kayo Stadium, where the Reds and NRL outfit the Dolphins have joined forces for a “two for the price of one” deal, in which families of four can buy tickets for $110 to attend the Dolphins’ Friday night clash with the Melbourne Storm at Suncorp Stadium, and the Reds’ battle with the Brumbies on Saturday, also at Suncorp.

The contests loom as pivotal in the respective sides’ seasons, with the Reds desperately clinging to a place in the top six, and the Dolphins reeling from four-straight losses to heap pressure on coach Kristian Woolf to turn the tide.

Eyes will be on halfback Isaiya Katoa to guide the Dolphins home, with the club’s past two defeats coming in heartbreaking circumstances – a two-point loss to the Warriors, and a golden-point finish against Penrith.

Dolphins centre Herbie Farnworth laughed when asked if he would be trying to keep McDermott and Katoa from speaking too much, given the latter’s background in rugby union with Barker College and past links to a 15-man code defection before signing through to 2028.

But the English strike weapon cut a more serious figure when he stressed that both Katoa and Woolf would be key to the side’s long-term ambitions.

“There’s certainly nothing like that, no talk about that, in our group. We don’t really take much notice of that … I don’t think we feel the pressure,” Farnworth said when asked if Woolf’s future was on shaky ground, before addressing Katoa.

“Issy was one our best players last year, and he’s taken on a new role [as co-captain] this year, and is talking a lot more. He’s going to be a very key part of the Dolphins in the future.”

Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.