Daryl Gibson believes Hooper, still only 25 but with 65 Tests under his belt and a record as Australia's most consistent Super Rugby player, has the potential to sit alongside John Eales as one of the great Australian captains.

Hooper assumes full control of the Waratahs this season after operating in a leadership-sharing role with departed club captain Dave Dennis last year.

Gibson revealed the secret to getting the most out of his indefatigable flanker was to make sure he was constantly challenging Hooper. This year that means talking a lot about what makes a great captain.

"One of the things I know he'll want to be is a really great captain so, for us, the discussion turns to 'how do you really develop the art of leadership'," Gibson said.

"There's been some really great Australian leaders, why can't you develop into one of those? Our discussions are around 'how can you be one of the great Waratah and Wallaby captains'?"

In the professional era it is hard to go past Eales and George Gregan as the benchmark for Wallabies leaders. Eales played 86 Tests for Australia and won two World Cups, captaining the Wallabies in the last of those triumphs, in 1999.

There is no doubt Eales grew into the leadership role and was pointedly challenged by then-Australian coach Rod Macqueen to sharpen his skills – and his backbone – in that role.

Hooper has played under no fewer than five captains and three coaches since his debut in 2012 and weathered some storms along the way, not least of which was taking over from a newly-installed Stephen Moore just a few moments into the start of the 2014 Test season, at the age of 22. The challenges snowballed months later when the team imploded during the Kurtley Beale texting scandal under then-coach Ewen McKenzie, leaving Hooper to rally his teammates to face the All Blacks in the third Bledisloe Cup Test in Brisbane.

He has served as Wallabies vice-captain under Moore for two seasons and looms as the natural successor once the Wallabies come to grips with the inevitability of the veteran hooker's retirement.

Gibson said Hooper was well on the way to earning a reputation for leadership skills as fine as his on-field performances.

"He has all the character attributes you want in a leader and the great thing is he's got time. He's amassed a huge amount of experience in a really short amount of time and at [25] he can potentially grow into that great leader," Gibson said.

"I think if you look at his playing record, he has certainly got the history in the game and the standing in the game to develop into a really great leader. Learning the art of leadership will be a fine challenge for him and one I think he'll be excited by, because he's an achiever. He'll want to do that."

Hooper and several of his NSW teammates are enjoying an extra week's break before joining the pre-season effort at Moore Park. Gibson said he wanted to make sure Israel Folau, Bernard Foley, Nick Phipps, Sekope Kepu and Dean Mumm had every chance to freshen up after heavy Test and Super Rugby duties during the past two seasons.

Hooper, in particular, has not missed a Super Rugby match in three seasons, and sat out only one the season before that. Gibson hailed the flanker's "incredible record" but said it was no accident.

"That's [an] excellent athlete and excellent preparation. In terms of professionalism at our club he would be one of the highest around his personal preparation and recovery," Gibson said.

"It shows that he has remarkable resilience around his mental toughness and application. It shows he's a quick learner too. He's come out of school and learnt the professional behaviours and continued them.

"It's no accident that he's been able to [play four straight seasons]."