Halfback Nic White is making sure the Brumbies cherish the excitement of a home final ahead of Saturday's clash with the Western Force.
Whilst success has become synonymous with the club, White is one of few to remember the tough times.
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As a skinny half from Eastwood, White began his tenure at the Brumbies in 2011, entering a team that had not tasted finals football since 2004.
It took until 2013 for the club to break this drought, where White learned and appreciated what it meant to be playing in the finals, using the bye to remind his young team of the luxury.
“It was tough there for a moment,” White told reporters on Tuesday.
“I remember in 2013, I was quite young playing in a final and I remember Stephen Moore standing up, how ever many Test caps he has, saying ‘boys, I’ve never played any sort of Super Rugby final before this year’.
"Some guys really go a long time without playing these.
"There’s been some early success for a lot of younger guys… it is exciting for these younger guys who probably don’t know how hard it was for some of us but they understand where the club’s come from, its rich history but we had a lull for a period there and I know how tough it can be.
“I certainly made my voice heard yesterday, I was pretty pumped because finals footy is finals footy, it’s unreal.”
Saturday's Qualifying Final against the Force also represents a homecoming of sorts for the Brumbies, spending the past three weeks on the road after a schedule change.
Fittingly, their last match at home came against the Force, a 42-14 drubbing, with White admitting that a return to the ACT and GIO Stadium was a major advantage.
“There’s a fair bit of excitement around getting home and being able to play at GIO again,” he said.
“We got a lovely start to the season with a bunch of home games but we’ve been away for a month.
“It’s a huge advantage playing down in Canberra, we’ve got very loud, vocal fans. But also, just to wake up in your own bed and go down to an unbelievable stadium at GIO…the comfort of playing there, we know the ground very well.”
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With the Brumbies restricted to just 6,000 in their last Final against the Reds in 2020, White was excited by the prospect of playing in front of a packed-out crowd.
“It felt like 20 (thousand),” White said on last year’s Final.
“Hopefully we get a few more there for our semi final now that cap has been lifted. Our fans are some of the best in the world and it’s exciting.
“We’ve been away for a while so hopefully there is some fire in the belly to get out and support us on Saturday night.”
It’s do or die for both the Brumbies and Western Force this Saturday night in Canberra. Catch all the finals action ad-free, live and on demand on Stan Sport as well as simulcast live on 9Gem, click here to purchase tickets.
