ACT Brumbies powerhouse Ita Vaea has dreams of Wallabies gold, but the resurgent back-row enforcer has his eyes set on a much bigger prize before he chases a Test call up.
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Vaea has vowed to take his game to a new level next year in a bid to end the Brumbies' 12-year Super Rugby title drought and continue his remarkable comeback.
Twelve months ago Vaea's career was hanging by a thread as he finished a pre-season training stint with the Brumbies without a contract after he recovered from life-threatening blood clots.
Fast forward a year and Vaea has dropped 30 kilograms, is the newly crowned National Rugby Championship player of the year and has emerged as a genuine contender for Wallabies selection next year.
The Tongan beast is refusing to look too far ahead and get caught up in his Wallabies ambitions.
"My job is to get in good shape for pre-season, do my job for the Brumbies and making sure I'm ready to go for that," Vaea said.
"I want to do my job for the team and whatever comes after that will happen later. Wallabies is always in the back of your mind as a player. But you can't think about that.
"At the moment I'm focused on myself. It has been crazy. This time last year I wasn't even thinking ahead, I had to lose a lot of weight before I hopefully got another shot.
"I was just lucky enough that coach [Stephen Larkham] believed in me. To be playing again, I couldn't ask for more than that."
The Brumbies will finish their first pre-season training schedule on Friday before returning on January 4 with the club's Wallabies' contingent due back on the field.
Vaea will be locked in a back-row selection battle with Jarrad Butler for the No.8 position, while David Pocock made a successful switch to the back of the scrum for Australia's World Cup campaign.
But after his long and difficult road back to rugby, Vaea is embracing every challenge thrown his way.
The 26-year-old was forced to sit on the sideline for two years when doctors discovered blood clots on his heart and in his calf.
He was told to stop all physical activity and that he would never play rugby again. If he continued playing, Vaea could have had a stroke.
A year ago he still didn't know if he would get another chance to play Super Rugby. But the warning to his Super Rugby rivals is simple - Vaea's wants to be even better next year.
"I'm in very good shape at the moment compared to last year," Vaea said.
"I got a call to come back to the Brumbies when [Fotu Auelua] was injured, which was unfortunate for him. But I came back in and I had to start doing fitness and I was behind everyone.
"I was trying to catch up the whole season and didn't find my best form until halfway. But this year I'll get a full pre-season under my belt and hopefully I can lift it to a new level in the Super Rugby next year.
"I was surprised to [win the NRC award], it was an honour. I got lucky with the Brumbies, they put faith in me and trusted me. I'm very grateful.
"To me it doesn't matter if I'm starting or on the bench. All that matters is that we win Super Rugby."
