But while the Brumbies have not won a last-round fixture since Gregan, Larkham and Jeremy Paul's farewell game in 2007, Wallabies great Gregan is adamant the club is the sleeping giant of the Super Rugby title race.

The Brumbies will attempt to end six years of last-game misery when they play the Western Force at Canberra Stadium on Friday night.

The motivation for winning is simple – beating the Force will guarantee them a place in the finals and keep their title dreams alive.

With just one win from their past four games over two months, most have written the Brumbies off as genuine contenders as they cling to a spot in the top six. But Gregan says that suits the Brumbies perfectly as they fly under the radar, despite getting a much-needed injection of more than 200 Super Rugby caps for the clash against the Force.

"I think the belief in the group is there and if they execute fundamentals, then their game is set up for finals football," said Gregan, who was in Canberra on Thursday. "They've got a world class back line ... it's a sleepy sort of team and that's nice that no one is talking about them. The Brumbies can just go about their business and surprise a few people."

Losing the last game of the regular season has cost the Brumbies a spot in the play-offs at least three times since 2007. The Brumbies stumbled in 2012 when a loss to the Auckland Blues ruined their finals hopes and they lost to the Force last year before going on to make the grand final.

It's an unwanted record but the Brumbies are putting all of their energy into ending the drought.

Matt Toomua, Sam Carter and Josh Mann-Rea are back in the starting line-up, while Pat McCabe and Joseph Tomane add valuable depth to the Brumbies' bench.

"History is against us in the last few rounds, but we haven't mentioned it this week," Toomua said.

"It's do or die for us until the end of the season, so there's a lot to be motivated about. I think momentum is important and we have an opportunity to create something this week. In Super Rugby you can win from fourth or win from sixth ... All the focus is on the [NSW Waratahs] and for the right reasons.

"We had a good chance last year but now we've got a chance to move forward on that. While the attention is elsewhere, I think there's a huge opportunity to take that forward."

Toomua (groin), Carter (ankle) and McCabe (shoulder) were injured in the Wallabies series against France last month. Tomane is making his comeback from a fractured cheekbone and Josh Mann-Rea gets his chance to step up and fill the huge hole left by Wallabies hooker Stephen Moore.

The Brumbies can secure a home final if they beat the Force and other results go their way. But if they lose to the Perth-based franshise, they will sweat on the result in the Auckland Blues-Waikato Chiefs contest in New Zealand before knowing their play-off fate.

The Brumbies could finish as high as fourth or as low as ninth after the weekend's results and the club's inaugural captain, Brett Robinson, urged the players to embrace their underdog status.

"Absolutely they can be contenders, I think they're a red-hot chance," Robinson said. "They've lost some very key players, but I wouldn't write them off that's for sure. I think they're in a good position, they can almost come from nowhere in a way.

"People might not have high expectations, which can take the pressure off and be an added benefit."

THE SCENARIO BREAKDOWN

To finish fourth with home final

- Brumbies beat the Force with a bonus point and Crusaders beat the Highlanders.

- Brumbies beat the Force without a bonus point, Blues beat the Chiefs or Chiefs win without a bonus point and Crusaders beat Highlanders.

To finish fith or sixth with away final

- Brumbies beat the Force, Chiefs beat the Blues and Highlanders beat Crusaders.

- Brumbies lose to Force but collect bonus point, Blues beat the Chiefs and Chiefs don't get bonus point.

Miss the finals

- Brumbies lose to Force without collecting a bonus point