🏉 Brumbies season preview

What's got me excited and concerned

The last play of 2022 - Getty Images: Phil Walter

After falling agonisingly short of the grand final in 2022, the Brumbies season kicks off tomorrow night as the lads take on a much-improved Waratahs in Sydney.

I haven’t been this excited for a Rugby season in a long time, and with the backdrop of Eddie’s return for the World Cup, a competitive and entertaining Super Rugby comp is vital if Rugby is to keep building momentum.

So without further ado, here's my 2023 Brumbies season preview.

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What I’m excited for

1. The return of Stephen Larkham - Bernie has big shoes to fill after Dan McKellar’s terrific stint as Brumbies Coach. But I’m excited to see what he and Laurie Fisher can do, especially after Laurie's recent sacking from the Wallabies, and Bernie’s admission to being burnout last time he was Brumbies coach. Reflecting on my time playing under Bern, juggling of Brumbies and Wallaby coaching duties had a noticeable impact on him and was frequently distracted. But his recent admission of this, for me, points to huge personal growth and a sign his best coaching days are ahead.

2. Jack Debreczeni in Brumbies colours - You’ve heard if here first, but I reckon Jack will make the World Cup squad after brilliant year with the Brumbs where his big boot and tactical kicking game will play a huge part in the team’s success. I was impressed with his trial form, and couple that with the Brumbies’s long history of getting the best out of players, I reckon Jack will take his game to a new level. Surprised to see him starting at flyhalf, and reckon he’d fit in nicely at Fullback as his height would help defuse high kicks.

3. Darcy Swain to fight back - Falling down the Wallaby pecking order sucks, but how player’s react is what matters most. After starting a few tests, Darcy now finds a few locks now ahead and I’m excited to see how he responds. Discipline has been a team-wide Wallaby issue, and I hope Darcy’s issues with it are not the result of him trying to “prove himself” physically because he has a lighter frame. I hope he reflects and finds the root cause of those issues, and just goes out and play, as he’s a terrific lineout general who always plays with his eyes up.

4. The next generation of props - With Scott Sio gone and Slips and Allan likely to be rested a lot, young props Tom Ross, Blake Schoupp and Rhys Van Nek will have plenty of opportunities to show their stuff. Brumbies razzle-dazzle can only happen if we have a sturdy platform, so keep an eyeout for these blokes to dominate as Scrum coach Dan Palmer and Laurie are the best in business when it comes to developing international standard props.

Concerns

1. Players with one eye on the world cup - With so many players in the Wallabies, my main concern (aside from injuries) is that players pace themselves for a huge year. This is a mistake I made in 2011 as I knew I was likely to be picked, and subconsciously tried to pace myself so I would peak at the Cup. This is where RA and Brumbies need to work together to decide when to rest players, and communicate this early to them so they don’t waste mental energy guessing when they’ll get a rest.

2. Tom Hooper’s injury - A huge talent and a massive shame he’s injured again seriously hurting his foot in the trial. Hoping this is just bad luck and not a sign of things to come.

Prediction: Semi-finals.

I’m taking tomorrow off work and pulling the girls out of school to take them to the game. But who else is going and what’s your match prediction?

I’m tipping the strong Brumbies bench to dominate in the final 15 mins and get us home by 2.