'Talk is cheap', coach demands action from his Waratahs

Perth Now

08-05-2025

Pulling no punches, coach Dan McKellar has laid down the law to his NSW Waratahs ahead of a do-or-die Super Rugby Pacific derby with the Queensland Reds.
McKellar is promising no Churchillian speeches before Friday night's showdown in Sydney, saying his charges should already know what is expected after last week's 40-17 submission to the ACT Brumbies.
The sobering defeat in Canberra, a fifth from five away games this spluttering campaign, has left the Tahs in third-last spot and prompted McKellar to ring some six changes to the starting team for the must-win encounter at Allianz Stadium.
"It's Queensland versus NSW so I said to the forwards earlier on, 'If you need motivation for this game, if you need me to give you something to get you up for this game, then we should change occupations'," McKellar said after Thursday's captain's run.
"So it's a big game and it's important in terms of the context of our season and it's Queensland versus NSW, so we get stuck into it.
"I was pretty angry after the Brumbies performance, just the second half in particular.
"The players needed to know that, and they were pretty disappointed as well."But the beauty of this game is, you get the opportunity to respond pretty quickly."Talk is cheap now. It's all about our actions."
Among the six casualties from the Brumbies drubbing was lock Hugh Sinclair, who captained the side during Jake Gordon's month-long stint out injured.
McKellar bristled when asked if Sinclair was merely being rested.
"No, we made some changes, mate. We didn't play well last week so we've made some changes," he said.
"It's pretty simple. Selection is really easy. It's all about performance."
Flyhalf Lawson Creighton was another victim of the fallout, with Tane Edmed winning back the No.10 jumper for the first time since round two.
Edmed finished last season wearing the Wallabies gold in the last Test of 2025 and McKellar commended the 24-year-old's professionalism during his two months warming the bench, or worse, not even making the Waratahs' match-day 23.
"Great attitude. Great attitude at club training. Excellent, and that's all important," the coach said.
"In times of adversity, you watch how players react to it and respond and he's been good and, off the back of that, he stays at the forefront of your mind.
"If they drop their bottom lip and sulk and don't want to be good team members, then you don't have a lot of thought for that.
"So he's been excellent in how he's handled himself, so he'll be excited to get an opportunity this week."
With Noah Lolesio heading to Japan at season's end, Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham is said to be eyeing off Edmed as a replacement playmaker in the ACT.
McKellar, though, issued a polite hands off, with Edmed also very much in the Waratahs' future plans.
"A NSW boy, loves the Waratahs and his family's here and that sort of thing. So, yeah, the retention of all of our players is the first thing that we look at before we recruit," McKeller said.
"So he's certainly in the conversation."
Also coming off a loss, to the Fijian Drua in Suva, the fourth-placed Reds enter the pivotal match seven points ahead of the Waratahs and with the chance to kill off their arch rivals' finals hopes.