ACT Brumbies coach Dan McKellar hopes so and he genuinely believes his team is ready to take the next step in an attacking revolution.

Only time will tell whether that's enough to convince the Brumbies faithful to forget about the Wallabies' woes and to re-engage with Super Rugby.

Here are the reasons to get excited about a turnaround in 2019 and all the the headline moments from this year.

BIGGEST STORY OF 2018: The Brumbies refused to comply with a request to rest Wallabies stars, sparking a club versus country war over player availability. The Brumbies stood firm, claiming a win for the little guys.

BIGGEST SURPRISE OF 2018: The departure of chief executive Michael Thomson caught everyone off-guard. Thomson had overseen a major overhaul at the club, turning back to back profits and mending plenty of broken bridges. Phil Thomson has stepped into replace him.

POEY v IZZY: Everyone was waiting for David Pocock's reply to Israel Folau's homophobic social media posts after he told fans gay people would go to hell unless they repent for their sins. Pocock was perfectly measured and typically classy, attacking the homophobic issue rather than Folau.

RETIREMENT SHOCK: Big Benny Alexander ended his career unexpectedly six weeks after the last game of the season. The much-loved prop played 154 games for the Brumbies and 72 Tests for Australia, but he didn't get a chance to farewell fans. Maybe a lap of honour to start 2019 would be nice.

WHO TO WATCH IN 2019: Take your pick from Rob Valetini, James Slipper and Toni Pulu. All  three have big points to prove and all three have the potential to be World Cup bolters for the Wallabies.

McKellar admits it took time for the players to embrace the changes he had hoped to make, but by the end of the season the pain was worth the gain.

The Brumbies scored 13 more tries than they did in 2017, kicked the ball less and showed more counterattack flair. Definitely improvements. But statistics only tell part of the story.

They missed the finals, beat just one New Zealand team and scored 21 fewer tries than the Canterbury Crusaders and Johannesburg Lions.

There's obviously still plenty of work to do, but you have to walk before you can run and McKellar is confident they can take the next steps from round one next year.

The Brumbies lost five games in a row in the middle of the year but managed to regroup and finish with a flourish, capping their revival off with a 40-31 win against NSW.

"But all of that has definitely been parked," McKellar said. "We've got to start the season well and that's what the expectation is internally.

"If we didn't have buy into what we were trying to do, we would have capitulated. So they always believed in the path.

"We have to make sure we start the season how we want to. We were happy with the way we finished, but we certainly aren't just sitting back expecting that to happen again. That's all in the past."

McKellar included players in the staff's end of season review and asked for their input. One of the big aspects he wants the team to work on is the mental side of the game.

"I've been here six years and it's the first time we've included players, we got some really good feedback. A lot of it was off-field things," McKellar said.

"To just make sure we've got an environment we all enjoy, that the players, the wives and kids all feel a part of it."

McKellar took a stand for Canberra when Rugby Australia tried to make him rest three of his best players - David Pocock, Scott Sio and Allan Alaalatoa.

The Brumbies struggled to attract crowds to Canberra Stadium this year, attendances dropping to their lowest point in Super Rugby history.

The not-so-subtle message in McKellar's stance was about trying to show Canberra the Brumbies weren't going to be pushed around. An attempt to rally support.

It was so late in the season that it was hard for it to have an immediate impact, but the Brumbies went on to win three of their next four matches and give fans a glimmer of hope.

"There's a lot to be excited about, we all understand how we want to play as coaches and players, and we want that to be a style that the Brumbies and Canberra can be proud of," McKellar said.

"We're determined to continue down that path and vision we've got as a team. We've got to get better, we know that. But we believe we can."

But getting fans to buy tickets to the game isn't that simple. The Brumbies need to reinvent their game-day experience, beat more New Zealand teams, play attractive rugby and, perhaps most importantly, win.

Chances are you've walked next to Rob Valetini but didn't know it. Hard to believe given he's 113 kilograms and 193 centimetres, but also understandable because he's played just three games.

The 20-year-old is tipped to be the next big thing in Australian rugby - a destructive back-rower who has the size to be an international force.

If he can stay injury free, Valetini will be worth the price of admission. He's big, strong and could cause some serious damage to opposition players.

Then there's Tom Wright, who has been recruited from the NRL, Toni Pulu, who McKellar rates as one of the five fastest players in the competition and former Australian under-20s star Bayley Kuenzle.

"There's competition in all positions without a doubt," McKellar said. "We're going to be challenged next year to rotate the squad ... you want to be in a position where you can use any member of the team.

"It's going to be a hard task picking the game-day 23 and having the tough conversations."

Is this David Pocock's last season in Canberra? Will Christian Lealiifano finish his Brumbies career at the end of the year? What about captain Sam Carter, who is being targeted by overseas clubs?

The end of a World Cup cycles always throws up plenty of contract curveballs for Australian franchises, with players keen to test the international rugby market.

The potential departure of some of the Brumbies' biggest names adds extra incentive for the team do force its way back into the finals and for fans to join the ride.

Henry Speight, Tevita Kuridrani and Scott Sio are also on the list of players who will be deep in negotiations about their respective futures.

Pocock, in particular, is worth turning up for alone. He's one of the world's best players and will be determined to go out on a high in Canberra if it is his last campaign.

Pocock moved to the capital in 2013, but missed the bulk of his first two seasons after having knee reconstructions and then took a 12-month sabbatical from Australian duties in 2017.

Lealiifano made his Brumbies debut in 2008 and has been the club's inspirational leader in recent years. He re-signed for an extra season and if anyone deserves to go out on a high, it's Lealiifano.

SEASON SUMMARY: Played 16 - won 7, lost 9.

DEPARTING PLAYERS: Ben Alexander, James Verity-Am, Robbie Abel, Kyle Godwin, Isi Naisarani, Richie Arnold, Nic Mayhew, Andrew Smith, Lolo Fakaosilea, James Dargaville, Mees Erasmus, Faalelei Sione, Michael Oakman-Hunt.

NEW PLAYERS: Pete Samu, Connal McInerney, Toni Pulu, Tom Wright, Murray Douglas, Vunipola Fifita, Len Ikitau, Bayley Kuenzle, Tom Ross, Irae Simone, James Slipper.

2018 RESULTS

Round two: Brumbies 32 bt Sunwolves Japan 25

Round three: Brumbies 18 lost to Queensland Reds 10

Round four: Brumbies 10 lost to Melbourne Rebels 33

Round five: Brumbies 24 bt Durban Sharks 17

Round seven: Brumbies 17 lost to NSW Waratahs 24

Round eight: Brumbies 45 bt Queensland Reds 21

Round nine: Brumbies 17 lost to Otago Highlanders 43

Round 10: Brumbies 20 lost to Argentina Jaguares 25

Round 11: Brumbies 8 lost to Canterbury Crusaders 21

Round 12: Brumbies 24 lost to Melbourne Rebels 27

Round 14: Brumbies 24 lost to Johannesburg Lions 24

Round 15: Brumbies 38 bt Pretoria Bulls 28

Round 16: Brumbies 41 bt Japan Sunwolves 31

Round 17: Brumbies 24 bt Wellington Hurricanes 12

Round 18: Brumbies 19 lost to Waikato Chiefs 24

Round 19: Brumbies 40 bt NSW Waratahs 31

February 15: Brumbies v Rebels at Canberra Stadium, 7.45pm.

February 23: Brumbies v Waikato Chiefs at Canberra Stadium, 7.45pm.

March 1: Wellington Hurricanes v Brumbies at Wellington Stadium, 5.35pm.

March 8: Melbourne Rebels v Brumbies at AAMI Park, 7.45pm.

March 15: Brumbies v NSW Waratahs at Canberra Stadium, 7.45pm.

March 24: Queensland Reds v Brumbies at Suncorp Stadium, 3.05pm.

April 6: Canterbury Crusaders v Brumbies at Christchurch Stadium, 3.15pm.

April 13: Brumbies v Johannesburg Lions at Canberra Stadium, 7.45pm.

April 20: Cape Town Stormers v Brumbies at Newlands, 11.05pm.

April 28: Argentina Jaguares v Brumbies at Buenos Aires, 7.40am.

May 4: Brumbies v Auckland Blues at Canberra Stadium, 7.45pm.

May 12: Brumbies v Japan Sunwolves at Canberra Stadium, 4.05pm.

May 24: Brumbies v Pretoria Bulls at Canberra Stadium, 7.45pm.

June 1: Japan Sunwolves v Brumbies at Tokyo, 3.15pm.

June 8: NSW Waratahs v Brumbies at Western Sydney Stadium, 7.45pm.

June 15: Brumbies v Queensland Reds at Canberra Stadium, 7.45pm.