'I want to make it a reality for them': Canberra Raiders legend inspires ACT Brumbies prop Tom Ross

"Mum will hate that," the emerging ACT Brumbies prop says.

"She's grown up always being Bradley Clyde's sister, and it's catching on now that I'm his nephew."

Clyde was a rugby league champion, a giant in the Green Machine's golden era. Three grand finals bore two premierships and two Clive Churchill Medals.

Ross is his own player, walking his own path in the 15-man code, yet there is a sense he yearns for similar accolades in his own career. His first big chance to claim one comes in a Super Rugby AU grand final at Canberra Stadium next Saturday.

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It is the first decider Canberra has hosted in 16 years, when Ross was a six-year-old with little idea of who or what the Brumbies were.

But don't expect him to rely on his uncle's old stories to help settle the nerves.

"He's funny about that, he doesn't like talking about himself too much. During his younger years he obviously had to do plenty of that," Ross says.

"Growing up I knew he was a footy player, but now I'm hearing more and more stories about how he wasn't just a good footy player, he was one of the greats.

"I take a bit of inspiration out of that, he's been at a few of my games through the years. It's good to have that mentality, there is something to strive for."

While Clyde has been at a few, Ross' mum Bernie and dad Damien have been there every step of the way. He reckons they might have only missed one, a trip to Christchurch last year.

So as much as Ross wants to earn a slice of history for himself and the Brumbies, he wants to do it for them. They're the people who have been there since day one, the people who drove him to training and games every week during cold Canberra winters.

He wants to do it for his brother Jack, the self-proclaimed "pilfer king" of the Gungahlin Eagles - Ross assures everyone "he'll love that shout out".

Then of course are the kids coming through the ranks in the ACT pathways. The kids in Daramalan College classrooms, sitting in the same seats Ross and Brumbies teammate Mack Hansen once did, counting down the minutes until the bell rings so they can rip in at training every Tuesday and Thursday.

"The fact my parents are willing to drop everything and follow me on this journey means the world to me," Ross says.

"I've also got my younger brother Jack there as well, doing it for guys like him. I'm not trying to sound up myself or anything, but some people are destined to go further in their careers.

"It does get to a point where some young players hit their peak. For guys like that, I've been where my brother is at the moment, he is playing colts and a bit of grade here at Eagles, but no real aspirations to go on.

"I want to do it for those kids who want to go to the next step. I want to make it a reality for them and show them it is possible."

Ross is blessed with an opportunity few other youngsters could even dream of when he arrives at Brumbies headquarters for training.

Because he still has to pinch himself when he links up with a front-rowers union boasting Wallabies Allan Alaalatoa, Scott Sio, James Slipper and Folau Fainga'a.

"It's mainly when I'm packing scrums against them. I get frustrated when I get pushed back, I get frustrated when I don't get forward in a scrum," Ross says.

"I probably get more out of getting whacked by them than actually doing well against them. They're really good to bounce off and it has definitely helped my development going forward.

"Sometimes you've got to take that second and go 'these are the best props, definitely in Australia if not the world'. Sometimes you've just got to take a step back and realise how lucky you are to be learning off the best in the world."