ACT Brumbies roll through troops in return as Tom Wright watches on

As you do when you go down "like a sack of potatoes" with no one around you. The ACT Brumbies winger thought his Super Rugby campaign might have been over before it started.

But now the newly-minted Wallabies flyer has his sights set on a return midway through the Brumbies' domestic campaign with bone bruising on his knee to sideline him for about six weeks.

It kept him out of the Brumbies' lone pre-season match against the Western Force at Viking Park on Tuesday night, with the hosts securing a 29-28 win on the back of a late Ryan Lonergan penalty.

A tight back saw Scott Sio spent the entire 90-minute match on the bench while Pete Samu was icing his shoulder midway through the second quarter.

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Wright's injury coupled with a niggle to Solomona Kata saw Mack Hansen get a chance on the wing alongside Andy Muirhead, giving Brumbies coach Dan McKellar a potential selection headache heading into a round one clash with the Force on February 19.

The timing of the injury is a point of frustration for Wright, who was desperate to build on a stellar 2020 campaign that saw him elevated into the Wallabies squad. That was compounded when his newly-framed debut Test jersey arrived the same day the Brumbies took on the Force in Tuggeranong.

"It's real frustrating. Injuries at any time are, but at the start of the season, I wanted to take the confidence from last year into what was going to be a pretty quick return for some of us," Wright said.

"We were rolling in from a short pre-season into the games which was exciting. It's just one of those things, part of the game I suppose. It comes at different stages for different people, unfortunately I've got a little one at the moment.

"Fingers crossed for it. It's probably one of those things I can't really rush. It's not really muscle or tissue, I'm no expert so I'm just listening to what the medical staff are saying and it will play out as it wants to.

"They can't really get a proper gauge on it, that's probably going to come from me a bit more as to how the bruising and swelling settles on its own."

Brumbies inside centre Irae Simone is on the verge of returning from his own injury woes, set to enter selection calculations for round one following a calf tear. His absence opened the door for Rod Iona to put in a solid shift against the Force.

McKellar rotated the bulk of the club's roster throughout the contest, using every chance he could find to get a look at his troops before their season opener next week.

Dropped chances were the tale of the opening quarter for two sides bereft of any match practice since last year.

The Brumbies rallied in the final term on the back of Noah Lolesio's inspired playmaking, having started on the bench, to secure a one-point victory.

"Definitely frustrated I'm not out there but these are some of my best friends. That's the beauty of what we do, being a professional sportsman," Wright said.

"Getting to see Mack tonight, I've been chatting with him all week, just talking footy and how he can best do things. That's been me getting my footy fix for the week, being able to talk footy and talk outside backs stuff with him.

"Andy is the same, he's been doing pre-season since November with the group. He's someone the boys respect immensely. We know what Sol can do, we just need to get him to get over a niggle he has had."