Caderyn Neville waited almost 10 years for the ACT Brumbies to call. So when Dan McKellar finally dialled his number, the answer was quick and emphatic.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
"It was the easiest deal I've ever done, we had it finished in a week," Neville said.
So 14 years after first trying to launch his sporting career in Canberra, Neville will finally get a chance to show what he's got in a Super Rugby trial match on Thursday night.
At 120 kilograms and 203 centimetres, he adds the size the Brumbies need to replace the tallest player in Australian rugby history, Rory Arnold. With 64 Super Rugby games to his name and eight years as a professional, he has the experience to help fill the void left by Sam Carter.
Neville has just 13 days to prove he should be in the Brumbies' round-one team next week. The first step in his 2020 mission is a trial against one of his former clubs, the Melbourne Rebels.
But Neville's Brumbies' journey started when he left school in 2006 and moved to Canberra to be a rowing Olympic hopeful at the AIS.
When rugby came knocking three years later, he was back in Canberra to join the same Brumbies academy but he left before he got a Super Rugby shot.
"When I was at the AIS, I thought I should give rugby a crack as well because of my height. It worked out pretty well," Neville said.
"It was pretty strange walking back into the AIS the other day for lunch. I lived there for a few months [when I was rowing].
"I'd like to play as big of a role as possible in this side, but I'm not coming back with a chip on my shoulder. There's no personal focus, I think this is just a good place to be.
MORE BRUMBIES NEWS
"I loved playing Super Rugby, it's going to be do it again. Winning games here will be satisfying enough."
The 31-year-old is the oldest player on the Brumbies' roster, giving the Brumbies some much-needed experience in the second-row.
"I had not considered [being the oldest]. I guess when you hit 30, you get an automatic 'old' tag," Neville grinned. "Hopefully I'm only old by age, my body is all good."
He will come off the bench in the clash against the Rebels, with Murray Douglas and Darcy Swain getting winning the two starting spots while young gun Nick Frost is hoping to make his mark on Super Rugby this year.
Frost, who spent time in the Canterbury Crusaders academy, is yet to make his debut, Swain has played 13 games and Douglas has played 21.
Two-Test Wallaby Blake Enever will miss the trial and is unlikely to be available for round one after injuring his Achilles.
Neville has spent the past three years in Japan after starting his career at the Rebels and then moving to the Queensland Reds, coincidentally the two teams the Brumbies will face first in 2020.
He was on the fringes of the Wallabies squad in 2012, but didn't get a chance to make his Test debut.
Neville's now older, wiser and has plenty of experience, so is a gold jersey still on his radar?
"It's not really in my thought process," Neville said. "But if you can perform for the Brumbies, who have been one of the strongest teams for the last couple of years, it can't hurt your chances.
"There's a lot to be excited about. There are plenty of opportunities there."
SUPER RUGBY TRIAL
Thursday: January 23: ACT Brumbies v Melbourne Rebels at Greenfield Park, Albury. Game one at 3.45pm, game two at 6.15pm.
Brumbies game-one team: 1. Harry Lloyd, 2. Lachlan Lonergan, 3. Tom Ross, 4. Tom Hooper, 5. Nick Frost, 6. Rory Scott, 7. Jahrome Brown, 8. Luke Reimer, 9. Issak Fines, 10. Bayley Kuenzle, 11. Guy Porter, 12. Reesjan Pasitoa, 13. Len Ikitau, 14. Tom Haddad, 15. Mack Hansen. Reserves: Billy Pollard, Fred Kahea, Bo Abra, Callum McDonald, Zeph Tuinona, Lachlan Osbourne, Lachie Albert, Isaac Henry, Billy Carberry, Dennis Waight, Tony Alofipo, Luke Gersekowski.
Brumbies game-two team: 1. Scott Sio, 2. Folau Faingaa, 3. Allan Alaalatoa, 4. Murray Douglas, 5. Darcy Swain, 6. Rob Valetini, 7. Tom Cusack, 8. Pete Samu, 9. Joe Powell, 10. Noah Lolesio, 11. Tom Wright, 12. Irae Simone, 13. Tevita Kuridrani, 14. Solomone Kata, 15. Tom Banks. Reserves: Connal McInerney, James Slipper, Caderyn Neville, Will Miller, Ryan Lonergan, Andy Muirhead, Toni Pulu.