2025 is shaping as the Brumbies’ last chance for a premiership with much of the core playing group that has made the finals in recent years.
Tom Hooper has recently announced his departure for next year and Len Ikitau is mooted to do the same, while Nick Frost and Tom Wright are also considered flight risks due to the salaries they can command offshore.
You combine this with departures of other key players over the years like Tom Banks, Irae Simone, Solomone Kata and Darcy Swain and you start to get a sense of the scale of squad renewal that has swung into motion this year.
The aging contingent led by James Slipper, Cadeyrn Neville and Andy Muirhead may not have much more to give at this level.
So it will be interesting to see how Coach Stephen Larkham balances playing his first choice team and exposing his current depth options to Super Rugby so there isn’t a flurry of new caps if a number of resignations or injuries pop up next year.
There is no better program in Australia though for getting players up to Super Rugby speed, so with some great young prospects on the book and the reputation for developing Wallabies, any drop off should only last for a couple of years.
So who are the current Brumbies who need to turn up in 2025 and prove they should be front and centre of a new squad dynamic?
Rhys van Nek
Another in the long line of unappreciated players in their home state succeeding at the Brumbies, van Nek’s value at set piece saw him get regular minutes over the last couple of seasons.
Injuries and the departure of Sefo Kautai take a little bit of heat off of him to perform but the addition of Tevita Alatini to the top squad as one of the most promising young props in the country.
Along with the ability of Feao Fotuaika to play more than capably on either side of the scrum, he has the tighthead pecking order in a bit of a flux.
As a result, van Nek will need to find another gear this year to assure the Brumbies staff that he’s the man to invest in for life after Allan Alaalatoa.
Billy Pollard/Lachlan Lonergan
A fit again Lonergan makes for an interesting selection dynamic with Pollard.
In Lonergan’s absence, Pollard has somewhat cemented himself as the third-choice Wallaby hooker but Lonergan has been preferred as a starter much of the time with the Brumbies.
Lachlan Lonergan of the Brumbies is tackled without his jersey. (Photo: Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)
One of them will need to stand out from the other to make a claim for a Lions squad spot as it’s unlikely both will be selected due to the similarities in their game.
Declan Meredith
The arrival of Jack Debreczeni in the nation’s capital a couple of years has gotten in the way of Meredith getting decent minutes off the bench for the Brumbies, despite impressing at pivot in development teams and clubland.
Joe Dillon was a standout at flyhalf for the Brumbies U19s as they secured back-to-back trophies and strikes me as the kind of player who will thrive in a full-time program.
Debreczeni may not be playing at this level for much longer but that doesn’t mean Meredith can’t end up as third drop again if Dillon shoots the lights in his u20’s season.
Meredith needs to impress with any minutes that comes his way.
David Feliuai
Feliuai arrives in Canberra to replace the powerful Tamaiti Tua in the twelve jersey.
The Brumbies relied heavily on Tua to give them front foot ball and a relatively small backline will again mean the twelve carrying for hard metres is crucial to the Brumbies fortunes.
David Feliuai. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images for ARU)
It’s no easy task to have that sort of impact in your first season at a new club and Feliuai’s selection in a wider Wallaby squad in 2024, despite a relatively fledgling professional career, will only add to expectations.
Ollie Sapsford can do a job in the twelve jersey while the Brumbies also have two good young inside centres in Austin Anderson and Jarrah McLeod waiting for their opportunity.
So if Feliuai shows too many jitters in the first half of the season the Brumbies may choose to begin blooding their young options sooner than planned.
Hudson Creighton
A reliable player, Creighton is the type to feature at the start of highlight reels rather than the back end which is a good fit for a Brumbies backline featuring Corey Toole and Wright.
The elevation of Kadin Pritchard to the top squad presents a challenge for him though as Pritchard has the game breaking abilities Creighton lacks.
If Ikitau does decide to move to greener pastures in 2026 we may well see both players get minutes in the No.13 jersey this year with a view to determining the successor.
