Stewart quickly stakes big claim within Reds
HAMISH Stewart is a name you can count on hearing a lot more of in the New Year.
Everything is falling into place for the Bond University up-and-comer to have a breakout Super Rugby campaign.
Stewart, 19, was one of two specialist flyhalfs listed in the Reds squad for 2018.
The other – Quade Cooper – has since been told he does not feature in new coach Brad Thorn’s plans, resulting in the ex-Wallabies star being linked to an exit from the club.
Meanwhile, Stewart’s stocks are rising after playing five games in his rookie season this year and he is under contract until the end of 2019.
He and Thorn have forged a strong combination, having worked together in premiership successes for the Reds under-20s and then Queensland Country in the National Rugby Championship. It all points to the Toowoomba product being Thorn’s go-to man as they chase a muchneeded upturn in fortunes.
The Reds have won just 16 of 62 games in the past four Super Rugby seasons.
Stewart says he and Thorn both like to let their actions do the talking, with no discussions held about an increased role given Cooper’s fall from grace.
“No, he hasn’t spoken to me at all and that’s probably a good thing,” Stewart said. “Everyone is playing for a position no matter who you are … you always have someone breathing down your neck trying to get there.
“I’m inexperienced but the only way you can learn is to put you there and see how you cope with it and you either cope with it or you don’t.”
Reflecting on a year highlighted by two premierships, an under-20 World Cup campaign in Georgia and a maiden taste of Super Rugby, Stewart said 2017 has exceeded all his expectations.
“I would have never dreamed that, sitting there on the first day of 2017, thinking that I would get a crack at Super Rugby or even under-20s,” he said.
Now that he has moved up in the rugby world, Stewart is determined to make it count.
He and the Reds squad will return to pre-season training on January 8.