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George Gregan has said he agrees with the appointment of Phil Waugh and Stirling Mortlcok as co-captains of the Wallabies for the upcoming domestic Test series.
The Wallabies announced their 30-man squad at the season launch on Sunday with centre Ryan Cross, wing Lachlan Turner, scrumhalves Sam Cordingley and Josh Holmes, flyhalf Berrick Barnes, injured prop Rodney Blake and big No.8 Jone Tawake, the players cut from last week's 37-man squad.
But the main talking point was the naming of co-captains for the first time in Wallaby history.
Gregan, who plays under Mortlock in the Brumbies line-up, said he had long been calling for a sharing of the leadership role in the Wallabies.
"Being captain or not captain won't change the way I prepare for a game," he said.
"Because you still need to perform whether you are in a leadership role or not so it won't detract from doing what I have always done and that has been being really diligent in my preparation for Test matches.
"But I have been saying this for years and that is you really half a dozen strong leaders in your group if you want to have a successful campaign.
"We are really try to promote leadership throughout the squad and it is a good chance to do that. We have some really worthy recipients with Stirling and Phil Waugh.
"Phil hasn't played much this year but he is a really respected player among the group. And then we have some really strong leaders underneath them in the group."
Waugh and Mortlock were separately handed the captaincy duties after George Gregan, who has led the team since 2001, was rested from last November's tour to the UK and Italy.
But the move to continue the pair sharing the role has confirmed that Western Force star Matt Giteau would be the starting scrumhalf for some of seven upcoming Tests during the Bundaberg Rum Rugby Series.
"I think it is a reflection of the day, we have a big squad and we are looking at utilising all of them this year and giving them exposure to Test match rugby," explained Mortlock at the team announcement at Manly Rugby Club on Sunday.
"This time last year it was identified that we needed a bit more leadership within the team and this year we have really moved on in that way."
"Having someone like George Gregan, who has a vast amount of experience and is a great sounding board for Waughy and I and then there is a lot of other guys like (Nathan) Sharpe and (Stephen) Larkham that will be involved in the leadership of the team.
"To be named co-captain is a huge honour and a huge responsibility," agreed Waugh.
"I fully understand that with George Smith around, I won't be starting every game, so it is just a matter of balancing things out and depending on selection and who the coach will name as captain of the side.
"So I will be working with Stirling in a leadership capacity and we have 30 guys in the squad leading up to the World Cup so it is important that we have that leadership around.
The Wallabies play their first Test of the season against Wales on Saturday in Sydney.
I think its a good idea because Gregan might not be on for the whole time with gits at 9 so Mortlock is a good choice he is a good leader and he is a smart player. Waugh is also a good choice and is a good leader for the forwards.