Forget the finals preparation or player farewells. The ACT Brumbies are on a Queensland redemption mission this week to prove how far they've come since they were left red-faced in Brisbane.
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The Brumbies regard the fallout from losing to the Reds in round six as the turning point for their season.
On one hand the dismal 36-14 defeat was almost breaking point. On the other, it was the making of the Brumbies and the reason why they've surged into the play-offs.
A hastily organised two-hour session reviewing individual and team preparation in March has sparked the most remarkable turn around.
The Brumbies are guaranteed a spot in the finals and have won seven of the nine games since the Brisbane capitulation.
It would be easy to get caught up in the hype of the finals given their fate is sealed. But you can bet the Reds sniff a chance to cause an upset in the last game of the regular season and the Brumbies want to make amends.
"We had a pretty tough review, we came back on a Monday of our bye week. We were disappointed with our effort up there," said departing lock Sam Carter.
"It was the turning point for us. We've got to keep the balling rolling this weekend and not get too complacent."
BRUMBIES NEWS
The Brumbies have secured top spot in the Australian conference with one game to go after toppling the NSW Waratahs in Sydney on the weekend.
They continued their sparkling form and piled on 28 points in the first half before a late Waratahs fightback ended the game at 35-24.
The Brumbies now have at least two more games left in Canberra this year, delaying farewells for Ireland-bound Carter, Rory Arnold (France), David Pocock (retirement) and Henry Speight (Queensland) among others.
But the Brumbies are hoping to get the party started early rather than waiting for a finals showdown on June 21 or 22.
They want a massive crowd at the game against the Reds to continue the momentum of winning the past five games in a row this season. They've also won their past six in a row at Canberra Stadium.
"We want to talk about the positive rugby that's being played rather than other issues," said Brumbies coach Dan McKellar.
"At this time of year you've got to keep getting your preparation right, keep building momentum and confidence. The Reds are a tough team, they never give up. they'll be up for it, we'll give them the respect they deserve."
Carter will delay his farewell thoughts for as long as possible to take a shot at leaving with a title.
"I'm not going to get too emotional yet because if you do, you forget what you're doing," Carter said.
"The way we see it is that hopefully we've got three or four more games. I'll leave the emotion until the end."
SUPER RUGBY ROUND 18
Saturday: ACT Brumbies v Queensland Reds at Canberra Stadium, 7.45pm
