Liam Wright and Tate McDermott have done alright for a "skinny guy with a big goatee" and a kid who couldn't stop "flicking his hair".
Eight years since sharing a Super Rugby debut at AAMI Park, the pair are now Wallaby skippers and Queensland statesmen ahead of their fourth year sharing the Reds co-captaincy.
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This week, Wright and McDermott were asked by rugby.com.au on their first impressions of each other from a memorable 2018 debut at AAMI Park (lost 45-19 to Melbourne).
"Tate was still flicking his hair back a bit back then. I got on the field maybe three minutes earlier than him so my cap's a little bit before him - that's the one dig we still have at each other," Wright said.
"Higgers (Scott Higginbotham) got a red card in the 8th minute which maybe should've been a yellow and then Lukhan (Salakai-Loto) got a yellow that definitely should've been a red.
"Lipo (Filipo Daugunu) debuted in that game as well and a few other guys (Brandon Paenga-Amosa, JP Smith) so it was cool to see where that group's gone and that Tate and I are still here together doing what we love for the team we love."
McDermott didn't miss his opportunity to throw a jab back at Wright.
"I just remember (Liam as) this skinny guy wearing shoulder pads, big goatee, Crocs. I used to think he was pretty strange to be honest but we clicked pretty early," McDermott said.
"We actually had quite a few older guys (at Queensland) back then so we spent a lot of time together. Obviously not the ideal debut getting flogged by the Melbourne Rebels but it was a great moment to share.
"(2025) is our eighth season together at the Reds. It's weird saying that but we've got so many young guys and so many good quality guys coming through."
It's strange to think of Wright, 27, and McDermott, 26, as senior players but the numbers don't lie.
McDermott (91 caps, 29 tries) is on track to become the club's next centurion and sits third behind Ben Tune (31) and Chris Latham (41) on Queensland's all-time Super Rugby tries list.
Meanwhile Wright (84 caps, 54 as captain) is already among the Reds' most decorated skippers - only James Horwill (69) and Mark Loane (64) boast more appearances with the armband.
Small wonder Queensland coach Les Kiss had "no hesitation" in asking McDermott and Wright to steer the ship once more in 2024.
"My first days here were with Liam and I needed someone to run the forwards for me. He came to every coaching meeting, went out onto the pitch and delivered. The quality of the man was clear then - to be able to sit in a room and put aside being a player to become coach in that time was brilliant," Kiss said.
"I spoke to Tate a number of times when he was with the wallabies in 2023 about me coming on bord and i knew straight away he the type of man people talked about. Rob Simmons, who I spent a bit of time with in the UK, spoke highly about these guys as well.
"Not that you're my heroes guys but it's like when you meet your heroes and they don't disappoint you. These are good men and we have got good men here."
With less than two weeks before the Reds' UK tour kicks off in Bristol, the pair are eager to build on the foundations laid through 2024 and continue their journey at the helm.
Wright is especially keen to return following a long-term shoulder injury that derailed his 2024 Test season but it's not yet certain whether the
"To receive the call from Les to ask to go again with Liam for our fourth year is a huge honour and a massive privilege for me. I'm just excited to pick up where we left off," McDermott said.
"Me and Liam, we always bounce ideas off each other and in a co-captaincy role we've got to be honest and direct in our feedback to one another.
"We've got different personalities but we're able to read the room and use our understanding of the guys in our squads."
"Tate probably tends to be more passionate, more emotional in his direction but at the same time, if I come in with a pretty hot-headed message then Tate is the one to calm it down. ," Wright added.
"(The shoulder)'s looking promising. I don't want to put dates on it any more because of how it's gone but it's in a really good place.
"We're trying to take it one session at a time, get a bit more load in, bit of contact prep and generally get it a bit stronger in the gym.
I'd like to go (on tour). With the whole squad being over there, I think it's ideal that I could join in on some of that training but I'll wait and see.
"It's going to be a really good preparation for the 2025 season and I think our team can build a lot on what we've built in this preseason and the last four-five months."
Catch up on every Aussie Super Rugby Pacific trial ahead of the 2025 season here.
