Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham will continue to push his contract negotiations to the background to instead focus on re-signing and recruiting players as he builds a Super Rugby roster for 2017 and beyond.
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The Brumbies and Larkham have been slowly putting together a deal to keep him in Canberra in preparation for his contract to expire at the end of the year.
The former Wallabies playmaker opted to make players the priority as he worked to sort out their futures, including landing Jarrad Butler on a one-year extension last week.
Several more are locked in negotiations while Larkham is also searching for players to fill the void left by Stephen Moore (Queensland), Matt Toomua (England), Ita Vaea (retired) and potentially Joseph Tomane (France) for next year.
Part of Larkham's contract talks are whether he will continue in his role as a Wallabies assistant coach and how a deal will be structured if he wants to do both jobs.
"We've been working on the players at the moment, but we are starting to move more towards staff contracts now," Larkham said.
"We haven't got any further [with Larkham's contract], we're still trying to focus on making sure that the players are looked after first. Like most negotiations it's ongoing, it's not something that has been pressing on my mind."
The Brumbies are preparing for a blockbuster rivalry clash against the Canterbury Crusaders at Canberra Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
It can be revealed the Brumbies are lobbying SANZAAR, Super Rugby's governing body, to host more afternoon fixtures in the capital next year to avoid Canberra's winter chill and attract bigger crowds.
Brumbies chief executive Michael Jones has started investigating options for hosting potential home finals in the afternoon timeslot this year to avoid clashes with the Canberra Raiders and get fans to Canberra Stadium.
Brumbies officials are hoping for a crowd of close to 20,000 for the massive match against the Crusaders, with Larkham's team fighting to take back top spot in the Australian conference.
"We'd love Sunday afternoon games here more regularly. History shows that Friday night games are good for the corporates, Sunday afternoon games are great for mums, dads and kids," Jones said.
"Particularly later in the season when the temperature is getting kind of heinous. We can get families out there and we can make more of a carnival atmosphere out of it.
"We aren't getting ahead of ourselves, but we have looked at booking Canberra Stadium for potential home finals this year and the Raiders have a game on the Saturday night of the first week of the finals.
"We're tentatively booking Sunday afternoon because it will be July and we think that would be a much better solution."
The Brumbies haven't beaten the Crusaders since 2009, with only four of the 35-man squad having tasted victory against Super Rugby's most successful team.
The Melbourne Rebels knocked the Brumbies off their perch at the top of the Australian ladder when they secured a bonus-point win against the Free State Cheetahs on Friday night.
The new Super Rugby structure meant the Brumbies dropped from second to sixth in the Australasian conference.
But they can rise back up to second if they break their drought against the Crusaders, and Larkham endorsed the idea of more Sunday afternoon games.
More than 19,000 fans turned up to watch the Crusaders beat the Brumbies in Canberra on a Sunday last season and the club hopes it will have multiple day games next year.
Television ratings have a bearing on scheduling of games.
"The guys enjoy playing on Sundays and we as the Brumbies have been pushing for more games in recent years because of the atmosphere it creates. As many as we can get, we'll take," Larkham said.
"Our focus is purely on this game, nothing to do with the ladder or when you've beaten teams will help you win a game on Sunday. You've got to win every game."
SUPER RUGBY ROUND NINE
Sunday: ACT Brumbies v Canterbury Crusaders at Canberra Stadium, 4.05pm. TV time: Live on Fox Sports 2. Tickets available from Ticketek.
* The Brumbies will auction their Anzac jerseys after the match with proceeds going to Legacy. Defence personnel will get free entry to Canberra Stadium and fans will be allowed on the field after the match to meet players.
Brumbies: 15. Aidan Toua, 14. Robbie Coleman, 13. Tevita Kuridrani, 12. Matt Toomua, 11.Joseph Tomane, 10. Christian Lealiifano, 9. Tomas Cubelli, 8. Jordan Smiler, 7. Jarrad Butler, 6. Scott Fardy, 5. Sam Carter, 4. Rory Arnold, 3. Ben Alexander, 2. Stephen Moore, 1. Scott Sio. Reserves: 16 Josh Mann-Rea, 17. Allan Alaalatoa, 18. Leslie Leulua'iali'i-Makin, 19. Tom Staniforth, 20. Michael Wells, 21. Michael Dowsett, 22. James Dargaville, 23. Nigel Ah Wong.
Crusaders: 15. Israel Dagg, 14. Jone Macilai, 13. Kieron Fonotia, 12. David Havili, 11. Nemani Nadolo, 10. Richie Mo'unga, 9. Andy Ellis, 8. Kieran Read, 7. Matt Todd, 6. Jordan Taufua, 5. Scott Barrett, 4. Luke Romano, 3. Owen Franks, 2. Codie Taylor, 1. Joe Moody. Reserves: 16. Ged Robinson, 17. Wyatt Crockett, 18. Mike Alaalatoa, 19. Sam Whitelock, 20. Tim Boys, 21. Mitchell Drummond, 22. Sean Wainui, 23. Marty McKenzie.
