Brumbies coach Jake White says he'll keep Pat McCabe's best interests in mind when he decides on what position the Wallabies utility will play this Super Rugby season.
McCabe sees himself ideally as an inside-centre, but his versatility could see him playing anywhere from fullback, to the wing or outside-centre for a Brumbies team short on experience and looking to rebuild.
However, White is concerned about whether he'd be harming McCabe's Wallabies chances by shifting him around.
White has even sought counsel from Robbie Deans to get his head around what the national coach has in store for the 23-year-old.
''I'll do the best for Pat in terms of making sure he doesn't go backwards as a player,'' White said.
''He's one of those guys who is a senior now and I want to make sure he has a massive impact on the game. Robbie has been very supportive saying, 'play him wherever you need him, you play him where you think he's best'.''
McCabe says the shoulder he injured in the World Cup is coming along nicely and he'll return to Super Rugby within the first few rounds.
Despite his youth, McCabe has been named as a prime candidate for the Brumbies' captaincy in a squad where the average age is about 22.
White is deliberately holding off on naming his new skipper so he can learn more about his players through the pre-season trials and says he may wait until the week before round one to make the announcement.
Stephen Moore and Ben Mowen are the other leading candidates for the captaincy. McCabe said that after a whirlwind 2011 he has to be prepared to shoulder more responsibility.
''I guess the tag of senior player doesn't really sit well, but I guess as someone that's been there before, it's natural that hopefully I take on more leadership and have more to say around the place. I quite enjoy a bit more responsibility,'' McCabe said. ''White's been great, it's extremely different. He's brought almost a completely new staff with him ... but I think we definitely needed that.''
White said he wouldn't know until a few rounds into the season whether the Brumbies were finals contenders.
''I don't think you're ever comfortable with your depth, even when I was coaching international rugby you always want more and more because the more on the bench the better,'' he said.
''I'd like to give myself a good chance of getting into the play-offs, but realistically you only know once the tournament starts about where your team can slot in.'' AAP
.gif)
