Andy Muirhead has vowed to send the Canberra Vikings out on a high before he attempts to stake his claim on the ACT Brumbies' No.14 jumper for next year's Super Rugby season.
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Muirhead will play his last game of the National Rugby Championship when the Vikings clash with the Western Force in Perth.
The 26-year-old winger decided to end his NRC campaign prematurely after a tough and demanding year of playing non-stop footy.
The fast-footed flyer played 11 Super Rugby matches this year before playing a crucial role in the Canberra Royals' John I Dent Cup finals charge.
But as the Brumbies bid farewell to winger Henry Speight, it opens the door for Muirhead to claim a spot in the starting XV.
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Muirhead will spend the next two months working with Brumbies coaches to condition his body and prepare his game to make sure he's in a better position to perform next year.
"It's a big year in my career, stepping up and hopefully playing a lot more minutes than I have in the past two seasons," Muirhead said.
"It would be really nice to try and really cement a [starting spot], that's a goal of mine.
"That's part of the reason why I'm trying to get my body right over the next two months, to make sure I'm firing come January 31st."
The 26-year-old winger hopes to finish his NRC campaign on a high with a win over the ladder-leading Western Force.
The Vikings have won two of their three games so far this season, but their fourth-round clash could have a major impact on their finals charge.
"We have high expectations because the Force are quite a good side," Muirhead said.
"It's a big game in terms of how our season is going to turn out, we're battling for the top spots.
"I'd like to think I've done some part towards getting good results but we'll wait and see how the season is going to pan out from there. We'll have to come out and perform to hopefully get a win against a tough side."
Coach Nick Scrivener has confidence in the Vikings' depth to cover the loss of Muirhead, especially with Wallaby Tom Banks returning for the remaining weeks.
"Everyone brings something different to the team. When they leave, a little bit goes with them but it gives a chance for other players to bring what they can to the team as well," Scrivener said.
"Andrew Robinson has been involved and George Morseu is on the bench this week. We've got lots of depth there, particularly in those positions to cover things like this.
"Andy's [been] a bit of a leader for us as well, he's got experience but you want your strike players to score tries and have an influence on the game. I think he's done that well."
The Brumbies will begin preparing for their 2020 Super Rugby campaign in November, with World Cup players expected to return after the Christmas break.
NRC ROUND FOUR Saturday: Western Force v Canberra Vikings at Perth, 5pm AEST.
Vikings: 1. Fred Kaihea, 2. Lachlan Lonergan, 3. Nic Dobson, 4. Darcy Swain, 5. Blake Enever, 6. Pete Samu, 7. Luke Gersekowski, 8. Rob Valetini, 9. Joe Powell, 10. Noah Lolesio, 11. Mack Hansen, 12. Irae Simone, 13. Len Ikitau, 14. Andy Muirhead, 15. Tom Banks. Reserves: 16. TP Luteru, 17. Bo Abra, 18. Angus Wagner, 19. Nick Frost, 20 Will Miller, 21. Ryan Lonergan, 22. Bayley Kuenzle, 23. George Morseu.
Lucie Bertoldo
Lucie Bertoldo is a sports reporter for the Canberra Times.
Lucie Bertoldo is a sports reporter for the Canberra Times.
