Andy Muirhead's eyes lit up at the prospect of pulling on the No.14 jersey and stepping out to play finals footy for the first time in his career.
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The 26-year-old winger has backed his claim for finals action with two standout performances for the ACT Brumbies.
The club has been sweating on the fitness of injured star Henry Speight but Muirhead has thrown a spanner in the works and given coach Dan McKellar a healthy headache ahead of the Super Rugby finals.
Muirhead will have a nervous wait before McKellar names his 23-man squad for their quarterfinal clash with the Durban Sharks on Thursday.
"It's a huge thing because I've never been able to play finals," Muirhead said. "It'll be good to get out and contribute to the boys."
McKellar will have plenty of selection headaches next week as the rested Tom Cusack, Toni Pulu and Darcy Swain return to the fold.
The head coach decided to give key players a chance to freshen up in the last week of the regular season, but it also opened the door for replacements to stake a claim for finals action.
While it's a healthy problem to have, McKellar has some tough conversations ahead of him.
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"There's going to be a lot of tough choices and some difficult conversations," McKellar said. "It's a 40-man squad so everyone is going to contribute and play their role, whether it be in the playing group or in the back room.
"There's been a whole lot of people who have contributed so far and we're in a good place.
"We're really proud of the position we put ourselves in and we just have to keep going about the day-to-day process, get our preparation right, and be ready to put on a good performance next Saturday."
It's never an easy task to cut down a 40-strong squad down to 23, but the Brumbies' latest victory over the Queensland Reds showcased the sheer depth of their bench.
Muirhead could upset Speight's farewell at Canberra Stadium after his sensational first-half try turned the game around for the trailing Brumbies.
Muirhead, replacing Speight, dived over the line to cut the margin to two points just moments after Queensland were stripped of their 14-0 lead.
The winger's standout performance against the Reds comes after he scored his maiden try of the season last week.
"It's good to get over the line because I've been a bit dry on tries this year," Muirhead said. "It was on the back of the team performing well and I feel like I've put my hand up for selection next week.
"We've got some good outside backs at the Brumbies which means good, healthy competition [for selection].
"It's a tough one for [McKellar] and we're going to have to wait and see."
Tom Wright shone on the opposite wing and helped extend the Brumbies lead with an intercept try. Lachlan McCaffrey looked right at home as the Brumbies' starting No.8 while Pete Samu was rested on the bench.
"It's the tough thing about rugby," Muirhead said. "It's something that we're accustomed to now as footy players, this happens in the game. Everyone needs to perform and train well. It's a nice, healthy competition having that sort of depth.
"Selectors will name the team and they'll be a few disappointments but we'll get on with it and keep training hard throughout the week."
The Brumbies will also monitor the fitness of captain Christian Lealiifano who copped a late tackle from Queensland prop Taniela Tupou.
Lealiifano's head rocked back in an ugly first half collision with the Tongan Thor and gave the Brumbies a nervous wait as he lay motionless on the frozen field.
"It was dangerous because I was relaxed, so it jammed my neck up a little bit," Lealiifano said. "I didn't need it at this time either, being so late in the season.
"I'm feeling as good as I can and it's an exciting time of the year."
The Brumbies will host their first Super Rugby final in two-years when they take on the Sharks at Canberra Stadium. The quarter-final will double as a potential farewell for several players, including Speight, Rory Arnold, David Pocock and Sam Carter.
SUPER RUGBY QUARTER FINAL
Saturday: ACT Brumbies v Durban Sharks at Canberra Stadium, 8.05pm. Tickets available from Ticketek.