Having to sit on the sidelines for three weeks through suspension may just become a defining period in Tate McDermott's rugby career.
The Queensland Reds co-captain was rubbed out of the game for striking Moana Pasifika's Irie Pipuni in the head last month, an incident completely out of character for the Wallabies scrum-half, on what was a frustrating loss for Les Kiss' side.
But Kiss believes there was a silver lining in the incident for McDermott, explaining why he feels the No. 9 has returned a better player, the consensus being that the hot-stepping halfback's pass has never looked sharper than it did in Saturday night's 59-13 hammering of the Western Force.
"It's an interesting question, getting the right blend of run and pass is vital," Kiss said Tuesday. "I guess early on, even though we were getting traction in the style and the play we wanted, he [McDermott] was still trying to find that timing issue and how it all connected.
"Sometimes you sit on the sidelines, not that he wanted to do that, and you see the game from a different perspective, and he trained on the other side of the ball, the opposition play. So sometimes being out of it gives you a little bit more perspective. It wasn't an intentional thing, but I do think players of this ilk, and this level, they join the dots better than a coaching intervention sometimes.
"And being out of the game, just watching it, watching these young Padawans under him playing well, him working the opposition plays in training, those things just joined in the right dots. So he's certainly always focusing on it for sure, always focusing on how he can improve where his foot goes and how he releases the pass, and what he's looking for in conjunction with the flow of our game; he's always searching for those things.
"But I think good footballers, just by observing, watching, understanding how to fit the plan, it comes out that way. But he's been sharp, hasn't he, since he's been back."
McDermott burst onto the Super Rugby scene under Brad Thorn at the Reds and has since gone on to establish himself as one of Australia's leading No. 9s. But the criticism of his game has always been that his pass is not what it needs to be at Test level and is certainly not at the standard of veteran Nic White, whom McDermott has largely split international duties with over the past few years.
The Queenslander was first choice under Eddie Jones at the World Cup last year, before a serious head knock ruled him out of the crunch clash with Wales, which the Wallabies eventually lost 40-6.
But Joe Schmidt, who has replaced Jones as Wallabies coach, has largely kept his a close guard on his selection thoughts, with the Kiwi to announce next month a group of between 30 and 35 players for two Tests against Wales in July and a further showdown with Georgia.
Asked whether there had been a change in McDermott's technique, Kiss said it was more a combination of the growth in McDermott's game, something that again had been driven by his time away.
"No, I think the main things are in terms of where you place your feet," the Reds coach said. "To me, the true technique, it probably transcends technique, it's just understanding flow, don't wait for players to be in position, play as fast as you can and you're on the front foot then and things become clearer, the longer you sit over the ball, the more complicated life begins in my book.
"So he's found that zip, he gets to the ball early, he's very quick; after he releases his anticipation is brilliant. So use that strength to just play and release the ball and then your running and your passing becomes clearer and it's not as complicated. So it's more about just building that flow and understanding, but he's been good."
Meanwhile, Kiss said it was only natural that breakout winger Tim Ryan had become the subject of Wallabies speculation given the winger's outstanding start to Super Rugby.
But the Queensland coach also backed the rookie flyer to keep a level head amid the talk, believing Ryan's solid grounding - which ESPN revealed had come through his club rugby stint - would hold him in good stead.
"It doesn't make me nervous. I think if anyone's going well enough to get some plaudits, that's fine," Kiss said. "He's focused on what he has to do now. It's all coach talk, I know, but it is important for him to understand that.
"Young men can get swept up in this for sure, but he's had a level head right from the beginning. Something tells me that he's just going to keep doing the little things that he does well. He's got a great capacity to listen and learn quickly.
"You're not going to stop people saying he's a possibility for higher honours, [and] that's his ambition. But it's about keeping him as grounded, as much as possible from our perspective, and he's doing good job with that.
"There are some areas in his game that are still there [to work on] that he's really aware of, but that doesn't get in the way. He doesn't overthink it. He still just does things, and what's necessary in a moment, he still nails that.
"We need to make sure we don't interfere with that process and he's doing that well at the moment."