Brumbies lock Nick Frost has revealed just how close he was to leaving overseas, labelling it a 'done deal' before his re-commital to Australian Rugby.
Frost is one of six debutants in the 35-player squad ahead of July's three-Test series against England.
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The 22-year-old was named in April's first camp of 2022, however, it was widely suggested the towering lock had already inked a lucrative deal overseas, reportedly with Japanese powerhouse Panasonic Wild Knights.
In the end, the opportunity to play for the Wallabies and stay in the nation's capital was enough to change his mind, pleased to have signed a long-term deal until 2025.
“It was a pretty done deal,” Frost admitted to reporters.
“Got all the stuff done which was a lot in the works to get to that stage so that was a big decision after that, there were plenty of phone calls and trying to work out ways and different things.
“At the end of the day, they were pretty supportive, disappointed from their end but supportive of whatever I wanted to do.
“ (Playing for the Wallabies) was always what I wanted to do, it was a pretty hard decision to go overseas. Similarly enough, it was actually quite easy when I got the opportunity to stay, to be honest, they presented more facts and figures and everyone was pretty understanding.
“There was a lot of phone calls back and forward but I’m pretty happy in the end.”
Dan McKellar remains a key figure in his development, with the departing Brumbies coach preparing to settle into a full-time role with the Wallabies.
Frost confirmed discussions with the forwards coach helped shift the balance week-by-week before he inked the extension in May.
“He always has been,” Frost said on McKellar being an influence. “Even at the time when I told him about my decision to go overseas he was disappointed obviously but after a few games he asked for reconsidering and that’s how we got the ball rolling,” he revealed.
“It went from there and week by week it slowly got bigger and bigger and we just ended up staying at the end of it.”
Heading overseas isn't a foreign concept to Frost, signing with the Crusaders academy straight out of school.
In the end, it's the same dream that's kept him in Australian Rugby which convinced him to return from the Super Rugby powerhouses, with the injury to Izack Rodda opening the door for a July 2 debut.
“It’s definitely shaped me. I went there straight after school, it was an unreal experience,” he believes.
“Living outside of home in a new country…it was good fun, a great experience. The footy was unbelievable, really enjoyed it over there and the main decision to leave after that was to come back and have a crack at the Wallabies.
“I was pretty happy with my experience and went back to the Brumbies and been loving it there.
“It’s weird because a lot of the guys we were playing against we know them but they’re all very supportive so it’s good catching up with them. This is what I wanted to do.”
