ACT Brumbies scrumhalf Joe Powell is on the verge of finalising a contract extension to stay in Canberra, locking in a key cog of the club's hopes of future success.
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But departing centre Kyle Godwin says the players haven't given up on their slim chances of being a contender this year, despite needing to win the last three games of the season to be any hope of making the finals.
Canberra junior Powell is expected to re-sign with the Brumbies as early as this week after agreeing to terms on a new deal.
The 24-year-old has endured an up and down season, but the Brumbies are hoping he returns to Super Rugby in peak form after getting a taste of Wallabies action last week.
Powell was one of only three Brumbies to get Wallabies game time in the mid-year series against Ireland, earning his fourth Test cap in cameo role in the last Test in Sydney.
The limited ACT involvement means the Brumbies will be the freshest Australian franchise in a three-way battle for a guaranteed ticket to the play-offs.
The Brumbies, however, need to win the last three games and rely on favourable results to clinch their sixth consecutive finals berth.
Their mission starts with a clash against the Wellington Hurricanes at Canberra Stadium on Saturday night, where the Brumbies will also be attempting to break a 28-month drought against Kiwi opponents.
The trans-Tasman match will be the Brumbies' last home game of the year and Godwin said the players are determined to keep alive their faint hopes.
"Mathematically we're still in with a shot for the finals. But we know for that to take care of itself, the most important things is we keep building and working on our game," Godwin said.
"It does get scary when you start talking about 'mathematical chances'. We know that it's possible [to make the finals], but for us to progress we have to work on what we did well before the [mid-year break].
"We were starting to play some really good football before the break and hopefully we can give the Hurricanes a scare."
Coach Dan McKellar will finalise his team on Thursday, with co-captain Sam Carter in doubt for the game and prop Allan Alaalatoa also unlikely to play after injuring his ankle in Wallabies camp.
Australian teams have been hit by injuries since the last Super Rugby game at the end of May.
The Brumbies are set to be without Carter, Alaalatoa and Lachlan McCaffrey, while the NSW Waratahs will be missing Michael Hooper and the Melbourne Rebels are without influential duo Adam Coleman and Will Genia.
The Hurricanes have their injury problems as well. Beauden Barrett and Vaea Fifita (concussion), Ardie Savea (ankle) and Matt Proctor (sternum) are all unlikely to make the trip to the capital.
But Godwin warned against taking the Hurricanes lightly in a game that could break the Brumbies season.
One-Test Wallaby Godwin will be playing his last home-game for the Brumbies, with the 25-year-old to move to Ireland at the end of the year to link with Connacht.
Injury ruined Godwin's hopes of making his Super Rugby finals debut last year and he wants to empty the tank in the coming weeks to have a chance to leave Canberra on a high.
The Brumbies will play the Hurricanes, the Waikato Chiefs and the Waratahs in the last three games of the regular season.
"It's going to be sad to leave the Brumbies, I really want to end on a high. I've been playing Super Rugby for eight years, so to be leaving is going to be sad," Godwin said.
"It's starting to hit me now that I've potentially got only three Super games left. I've got a great opportunity [at Connacht] but I do feel like I'll be back one day [in Super Rugby]. I think I've got unfinished business."
SUPER RUGBY ROUND 17
Saturday: ACT Brumbies v Wellington Hurricanes at Canberra Stadium, 7.45pm. Tickets available from Ticketek.
