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Wallaby Liam Wright inks new Super Rugby deal as club aims for success
By Finn Morton
Queensland Reds co-captain Liam Wright will remain at Ballymore for an eighth season. On Monday, the Reds announced the 26-year-old has re-signed with the club for next season on the back of an impressive 2024 for both club and country.
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Wright, who has played 84 matches for Queensland despite battling numerous injury challenges, captained the Reds for the first time in 2020 at just 22 years of age. The skipper has been in that role for five years, and that paved the way for a higher honour.
The Wallabies have had a lot of captains over the last two years under coaches Eddie Jones and then Joe Schmidt, but none were more surprising than Wright. The 26-year-old himself admitted to just wanting to make the matchday 23 to play Wales before being given the leadership role.
But when Wright spoke with reporters at Allianz Stadium on the Friday before the Test, it was clear the backrower was confident in himself to do the job well. Schmidt and the coaching staff backed him, and so did the playing group who joined him in rugby battle.
While injuries have impacted the flanker’s international season, with Wright only playing that one Test in July so far, there’s no doubt that he’s a leadership option moving forward. Back with the Reds, it seems likely that role will continue now he’s re-signed.
“Liam is an integral part of what we are looking to achieve and was a priority re-signing for us,” Reds coach Les Kiss said in a statement.
“Getting some continuity in his rugby was important for him this year, and we were so pleased that he was able to achieve that through playing a full Super Rugby season. To see him rewarded externally and tasked with captaining his country brought great pride and happiness to all of his teammates and colleagues.
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“Liam has so much to offer our team and is such a selfless man, determined to see the club fulfil its potential and committed to playing a key role in achieving success. The entire coaching staff are excited about the role he will play for the Reds in 2025.”
Wright joins Hunter Paisami, Josh Flook, Ryan Smith and Jock Campbell in re-signing with the Reds. The Queensland club showed genuine signs of promise under coach Kiss in 2024, and they finished the regular season as the second-best Australian side.
The Reds beat the Chiefs at Suncorp Stadium in what was probably the highlight of their season, and they pushed on to the playoffs after placing fifth on the ladder. Wright played 15 matches in Super Rugby Pacific, starting all of those appearances at blindside flanker.
Incredibly, Wright played 80 minutes in every Reds match except one.
“I always feel incredible pride in the Queensland jersey, due to our fantastic fans and the role being a Queenslander has played in my life,” Wright explained.
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“There is plenty more I want to achieve here alongside this great squad and staff, both as an individual and as a team.
“I believe that Les, Fish (Jonathan Fisher), Choc (Zane Hilton) and Brad (Davis) will continue to challenge me and help me evolve and grow as a player, which I really enjoyed over the past year. There’s nowhere else I want to be playing and it’s exciting to have my future locked in.”
