Andy Muirhead needed to convince himself he deserved to be a Wallaby.
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Now the ACT Brumbies winger will spend the rest of the Super Rugby season looking to nail down his spot in the squad.
Muirhead was one of 14 Brumbies Wallabies coach Dave Rennie picked in his squad, giving the Canberra side a massive boost heading into the clash against arch-rivals NSW Waratahs at the SCG on Friday night.
While the Waratahs were winless through the opening six rounds, the Brumbies were expecting a backlash from a side stinging after coach Rob Penney was sacked following their record 46-14 loss to the Queensland Reds.
Muirhead's pushing to make his Wallabies debut later in the year, having been linked to an Australian call-up for a while.
Now he's got the rest of the Super Rugby AU season - and potentially the trans Tasman competition as well - to cement himself as an option on the wing.
"You always gotta have a little bit of self belief I guess in this game and I sort of felt that maybe I should be included in some sort of squad," Muirhead said.
"Now I've got an opportunity to try and prove myself in a camp situation so I'm pretty excited for it."
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The Brumbies' stocks could be bolstered for the trip north as Solomone Kata, Bayley Kuenzle and Tom Wright (knee) continue their return from injury.
If Muirhead needed any added motivation the return of fellow backs Kata and Wright will provide exactly that.
"The boys are coming back from rehab and they're looking fast and fit so hopefully some of those guys can get into the 23 on Friday," he said.
"Ever since I've been down here at the Brums we've always had strong outside backs and it's no different now Sol and obviously Wrighty is probably going to be back, fit and firing in the next week or so.
"It's nothing new. We always compete with each other. It's good to have competition."
The Brumbies thrashed the Waratahs 61-10 a month ago, but they were expecting a backlash following Penney's sacking.
Brumbies lock Cadeyrn Neville was also named in the Wallabies squad and will continue to push to make his Australian debut.
Neville revealed Penney had coached him during his time in the Japanese Top League, before they both returned Down Under.
The 32-year-old also knew what it was like to have a coach sacked, having experienced it during his time with the Queensland Reds.
It's why he was expecting a hostile reception when he returned to the city where he grew up.
"I feel for them. I've been in the same situation at the Reds a few years ago," Neville said.
"As a group of proud athletes you've got no choice but to respond to the adversity and overcome it.
"It's about as major a disruption as you can get and I also [feel for] the coach who was my coach in Japan. I hope he lands on his feet soon.
"They'll get around each other and they'll have a bit more motivation to give it to us at home."
SUPER RUGBY AU ROUND SEVEN
Friday: ACT Brumbies v NSW Waratahs at the SCG, 7.45pm.