Connal McInerney ready to push for a Brumbies recall in Super Rugby Pacific

McInerney took a step towards a Super Rugby Pacific return in the Brumbies Runners' trial loss to the NSW Waratahs' A side at Brumbies headquarters on Saturday.

The 27-year-old got through almost 80 minutes unscathed after an interrupted pre-season put him behind the eight ball in the race for a place in Dan McKellar's matchday 23.

McInerney is one of three Test-capped hookers at the Brumbies, with Folau Fainga'a and Lachlan Lonergan trading starting duties while rising star Billy Pollard has come off the bench over the past two rounds.

Now McInerney is confident he has put a niggling foot injury behind him as he pushes for a spot on the plane to face the Rebels in Melbourne next week.

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"Obviously playing 70-75 gave me a bit of confidence, especially with those niggles I've had. It didn't feel too bad, so if called upon I'll try do a job," McInerney said.

"Obviously we've got pretty good depth at hooker. To crack that 23 is pretty tough at the moment, but I've been told to get a bit of training under my belt and just be prepared to play when I'm called upon.

"I don't mind it too bad, I probably came back into pre-season underdone with a few niggles I had to get right. When the time is right, it's just about being prepared to play.

"There wasn't much pre-season at all, I was back into rehab for a couple of weeks treating a foot injury. That's why it's so important to get a bit of training under my belt.

"I didn't see too much of pre-season so I've kind of treated the last three weeks as time to get my body right and get a bit out of training."

How the Brumbies manage the hooking rotation is an intriguing subplot this season, with rival clubs likely to make a play for off-contract Wallaby Fainga'a for 2023 and beyond.

McInerney is signed until the end of 2023, while Lonergan is on the verge of signing a new deal with the Brumbies in a major coup, and rugby league-convert Pollard is highly-rated within the club.

"We're very fortunate to be in a squad with that depth, especially in the hooker position. We've got three Wallabies there," Brumbies captain Allan Alaalatoa said.

"We've got Lau, Connal and Noss. We've got someone like Billy Pollard who has been a part of the squad for a few years but is still very young. Obviously we can see what he does when he comes on the field, that's why he got the opportunity again to have a good crack [against the Waratahs].

"What it does, it has that competitive edge. A lot of those boys understand they need to put their best foot forward to keep their spot and that's something we're very fortunate to have here at the Brums.

"That's something that's very valuable to have in a team. We've recruited well as a squad but then we've kept a lot of our core players over the last few years and I think that has been awesome for us.

"We want to have that competition for spots because it challenges people to be their best self and be their best player on the field. That's only going to add to our squad and where we want to go as a team."

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