'Not in my wildest dreams': Crazy twist of fate for a Brumbies captain

But here he is. The well respected former ACT Brumbies skipper lining up on the opposite side of the field ready to play the role of party pooper against a group of players he helped usher into the team.

Somehow Carter, the 34-year-old former Wallabies lock, ended up in Perth after an almost five-year stint overseas and a twist of fate has put the Western Force's finals dream against the Brumbies' bid for the top two.

"Not in my wildest dreams did I think this was possible," Carter said on Wednesday night.

"But it's kind of exciting because most of the guys that I'll be playing against this weekend are blokes that were coming through when I left, guys that I have a lot of time for and great relationships.

"When I left [at the end of 2019] it was their time to take the reins and continue the Brumbies legacy. But you don't really think about that, because there's a lot on the line for both of us."

That's why nostalgia is being pushed aside on Saturday night when Carter returns for the first time in five weeks after battling a hamstring injury.

The Force will know before the game if they're any chance of sneaking into the eight-team finals format.

The Brumbies will know if they can snatch a crucial top-two spot to boost their title dreams.

Carter, though, won't know what his next move is as his family prepares to fly across the country to watch what could be the last match of a career that has spanned 14 years across three countries.

The no-nonsense second-rower played more than 100 games for the Brumbies before he left Australian rugby at the end of 2019 to test himself in Ireland. When he finished there, he had a stint with former Brumbies coach Dan McKellar at Leicester before the Force came knocking.

The timing was perfect, and Carter took the chance to return to Australia with his wife and two-year-old daughter. But without a contract beyond this season, Carter is unsure where the journey goes next.

"I'm almost 35. They're not handing out too many contracts to blokes my age," Carter joked.

"I'll make that decision over the next couple of months. We wanted to come back to Australia because we'd been overseas for a while, and the opportunity at the Force was perfect timing.

"This could potentially be my last game, I don't know. But I'm also enjoying my rugby, so I'm not ruling anything out. If something comes up, I'd have to seriously consider it."

The Force will have a distinct Brumbies flavour when they run out in the showdown. Former ACT skippers Carter and Nic White will start alongside Bayley Kuenzle, while Michael Wells and Issak Fines-Leleiwasa are on the bench.

The Brumbies have recalled props Blake Schoupp and Harry Vella, and back-rower Rory Scott for the trip, and if anyone knows the pitfalls of taking the Force lightly it's Carter.

The Brumbies had a chance to seal a top-two spot in 2013, but were beaten by the Force in the last round. Rather than playing two home finals, the Brumbies had to go from Canberra to Pretoria to Hamilton to make the grand final, where they went agonisingly close to a shock title.

But while that memory still stings Carter, he won't be doing the Brumbies any favours as he teams up with Izack Rodda in the second row.

"Back in 2013 it made everything harder. It could have been the difference for us," Carter said. "For us, we're not going to make it easy for them.

"Now that I'm on the other side, I don't want that to happen for them. It's going to be a good contest ... I watched the Brumbies v Force game earlier in the season when I was making my decision and that one was close. So this going to be a tough one as well."

But Carter says the Force will be driven by something else after a disappointing 59-13 thumping at the hands of the Queensland Reds last week.

That result has taken the Force's finals ambitions out of their own hands. They are now relying on other results to get them across the line, and they'll know before they run on the field whether they're still alive or they're simply playing to spoil the Brumbies' play-off preparations.

"We were building something and improving, and we let ourselves down last week. We want to make amends," Carter said.

"For the moment, the only thing that is important to me is the game this weekend."

SUPER RUGBY ROUND 15

Saturday: Western Force v ACT Brumbies at Perth, 7.35pm

Brumbies team: 1. Blake Schoupp, 2. Billy Pollard, 3. Allan Alaalatoa, 4. Darcy Swain, 5. Nick Frost, 6. Tom Hooper, 7. Rory Scott, 8. Rob Valetini, 9. Ryan Lonergan, 10. Noah Lolesio, 11. Corey Toole, 12. Tamati Tua, 13. Len Ikitau, 14. Andy Muirhead, 15. Tom Wright. Reserves: 16. Connal McInerney, 17. Harry Vella, 18. Sosefo Kautai, 19. Cadeyrn Neville, 20. Luke Reimer, 21. Harrison Goddard, 22. Jack Debreczeni, 23. Ollie Sapsford.

Force team: 1. Ryan Coxon, 2. Tom Horton, 3. Santiago Medrano, 4. Sam Carter, 5. Izack Rodda, 6. Jeremy Williams (c), 7. Carlo Tizzano, 8. Reed Prinsep, 9. Nic White, 10. Max Burey, 11. Ronan Leahy, 12. Hamish Stewart, 13. Bayley Kuenzle, 14. George Poolman, 15. Kurtley Beale. Reserves: 16. Ben Funnell, 17. Marley Pearce, 18. Tiaan Tauakipulu, 19. Lopeti Faifua, 20. Will Harris, 21. Michael Wells, 22. Issak Fines-Leleiwasa, 23. Sam Spink.