ACT Brumbies young gun completes comeback from emotional ACL injury

Rebuilding his body, training, preparing mentally and physically for a long-awaited return to the field.

So when ACT Brumbies coach Steve Larkham told the young prop he was in the squad for Saturday night's trial against the Fijian Drua, Vella's heart started to race.

It had been 16 long months since he tore his ACL in an end-of-season trial against the NSW Waratahs in September 2022.

The injury came just weeks after Vella was elevated to the Brumbies senior squad and put an end to any hopes Vella had of making a Super Rugby debut last season.

So emotions were high in the week leading up to Saturday's trial at Viking Park. Larkham, however, knew what to say to keep the prop focused on the task at hand.

"Steve's been talking to me throughout the week and it got me to a place where I wasn't really thinking about the injury," Vella said.

"There were just nerves about doing my role for the team.

"That's the best way to go into a game and not worry about the past, just worry about the job at hand."

When kickoff arrived, Vella was forced to wait a little bit longer to complete his comeback, the prop watching from the sidelines before his name was called 30 minutes into the match.

A successful 30-minute stint followed in the 43-40 win, the prop finding his feet and making an impact at set piece and in general play.

It was a moment Vella will savour for a long time but he recognises the challenge is now to build on the performance in next week's trial against the Western Force.

"It went a little bit better than expected with the contact and speed [of the game]," Vella said.

"I've still got a long way to go. There's a few technical things, the set piece, and my fitness to build on but I'm in a good place.

"I just need to keep putting things forward and stacking the [blocks] on top of each other."

While Vella's comeback was a resounding success, there was one negative to come out of the game.

Cadeyrn Neville picked up a hamstring injury early in the second half. While it appears minor, Larkham said they won't rush the lock back on to the field.

"We'll take all precautions and give him a good chance to recover," Larkham said.

"We've got a game next week against the Force in Perth so we'll have to make a decision early in the week as to whether he needs a bit of rest."

Vella arrived in Canberra a highly-touted teenager, having represented the Australia under 18 team and later earned selection in the Junior Wallabies squad.

While he wasn't on the field, Vella still managed to leave an impact on many of his teammates throughout 2023. The prop was the one constant in the team's rehab squad and he used his role to ensure those who joined him on the injured list maintained an upbeat mindset throughout a tough time.

As this was happening, the side's loosehead props were producing a series of impressive performances.

Blake Schoupp was plucked from anonymity as injury cover by former scrum coach Dan Palmer and ended the year a Wallaby. James Slipper showed no signs of slowing down and Fred Kaihea was at his powerful best.

Rather than feel threatened by the trio, Vella has revelled in their success and used it as motivation to continue elevating his game.

"It was good to see and it shows that if you put the work in and get a few strong performances, you can do that," Vella said.

"It's great to see people in the club are getting paid for hard work and it motivates you.

"We've got a strong squad and competition breeds good performances. I'm focusing on competing for my spot and trying to earn that jersey."