Former ACT Brumbies coach Laurie Fisher is keen to strike a deal to return to the club, adamant egos can be pushed aside to slot into an assistant role to work with new mentor Dan McKellar.
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Fisher hopes to have his coaching future finalised in the coming weeks after speaking with the Brumbies about a homecoming for the 2018 Super Rugby season.
He has also spoken to three of the Brumbies' rivals, but his preference is to stay in Canberra and help McKellar build a championship squad.
Fisher, nicknamed 'the Lord', is back in Canberra after ending his stint with English club Gloucester and four of Australia's five Super Rugby franchises have expressed interest in securing his services.
The Brumbies loom as the front-runners to sign Fisher but the club needs to finalise a plan for a support crew around McKellar.
McKellar will replace outgoing coach Stephen Larkham at the end of the season while it is expected defence coach Peter Ryan will stay in for at least one more year.
Larkham's departure will make recruiting a backs coach a major priority given McKellar's forwards expertise.
But Fisher would add a calm head and almost 20 years of professional coaching experience to help McKellar kickstart his career.
Fisher insisted he had no qualms stepping back into an assistant's role despite being Gloucester's head coach for three years and a former Brumbies leader.
"For me, the beauty of being in the game a long time is that I'd honestly be comfortable and be able to value add in any area," Fisher said.
"I quite like the assistant role. You don't have the selection headaches, you knuckle down and do your job as well as supporting the head coach in any way you can.
"It's a nice, simple focus. Head coaching takes your mind to many, many other places and it's not as easy to be diligent in your coaching areas."
The Brumbies have secured a finals spot for the fifth consecutive season and are set to play either the Waikato Chiefs, Wellington Hurricanes or Otago Highlanders in Canberra on July 21.
The Brumbies have tentatively booked Canberra Stadium for a 7.45pm kick-off on the Friday night, but could have to shift the game to a Sunday afternoon if they play a South African side.
Hosting a home final could boost the Brumbies' coffers as the club sits on the cusp of a remarkable financial turnaround in the past 12 months.
The Brumbies have lost more than $3 million in the past three years, but could turn a profit for the first time in a decade.
There are two games remaining in the regular season and the Brumbies will play the Queensland Reds and Chiefs in the last two rounds.
Fisher doesn't want to become a distraction for the club's end of year charge and is hopeful he can work with McKellar and chief executive Michael Thomson to secure a deal.
The Brumbies started re-signing players last week and a long list is set to follow this week after hooker Josh Mann-Rea's recommited to Canberra.
"I'm hopeful we can come to some arrangement and I don't think that would be too difficult," Fisher said.
"Everyone is looking for a bit of security and just understanding what the future looks like in Australia.
"I understand with a couple of teams in Australia there won't be resolutions until later in the season. But if we could tie something up [at the Brumbies], I'd rather do it sooner rather than later.
"It's not about playing one team off against another. It's about what I can bring to an environment and where my value add is it. I want to help the Brumbies and ACT rugby."
