The Queensland Reds are intent on not letting the ACT Brumbies crash their party in a Super Rugby Pacific derby laced with added motivation.
The Reds are dedicating Saturday night's home game in Brisbane to 100-game milestone man Tate McDermott while also wanting to win for 50-cap forwards Zane Nonggorr and hooker Matt Faessler.
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But the hosts are also acutely aware they must lift to claim a record-equalling seventh straight victory over Australian opposition after losing their past three encounters with the benchmark Brumbies.
"We're expecting a tight match," Reds vice-captain Fraser McReight said on Friday.
"They're a quality side with great players and we're building and they're building so we're expecting a great game.
"If you look at history, the AU sort of stuff, we've always been thereabouts with the top-two sort of teams and we battle it out - we get one, they get one.
"But they've had the wood over us for a few years at Suncorp so it's about getting back to what we do really well."
McDermott this week ranked racking up a century of games for Queensland above captaining the Wallabies, with his teammates vowing to honour their halfback and captain's feat in style.
"Everyone knows how good he is with ball in hand and how he is on the field, but he's a leader. He's tough, he's a dog on the field. He really rips in," McReight said.
"Eight seasons, 100 games in Queensland. It's tough in itself to get to 50.
"So it shows the kind of calibre of a player he is and how tough he is. So really excited for him and his family to be able to get that milestone at Suncorp, which is awesome."
Nonggorr and Faessler are both celebrating 50 matches for the Reds as well.
"There's some pretty awesome milestones for Queensland this weekend so it's about getting the job done," McReight said.
"Matt and Zane, they're really good mates of mine and I'm really, really happy for them.
"Obviously two different stories. Zane debuting in 2020 and under Jeff Miller and learning a lot about himself as a tighthead and it's been awesome to watch his journey evolve over the past few years, especially in Wallaby camp.
"And Matt is really different cat up here. Thought his rugby career was going to be fickle and not be a professional rugby player and then he shot the lights out these past few years and really shown why he's the premier hooker in Australia."
The fifth-placed Brumbies can leapfrog Queensland into third spot on the ladder, or better, if they consign the Reds to back-to-back defeats for the first time since round eight last year.
Conversely, the Reds could potentially go top of the table with victory.
To do so, though, the Reds will need to spoil Brisbane-raised Brumbies winger Andy Muirhead's own special night.
Muirhead will play his 100th game for the Canberra franchise after moving south to the national capital in 2017, thinking he might spend two seasons at the Brumbies.
"I'm a stubborn fella," the 31-year-old said of his longevity.
"And I'd say I've gone through a fair few things off field and just being resilient and backing myself."
