Alan Alaalatoa reveals Laurie Fisher's exit driving Brumbies title quest

The assistant coach will stand down from his role at the end of the season as he transitions away from full-time coaching.

Fisher has been a fixture at Brumbies HQ for much of the past 25 years and is considered the heart and soul of the club.

The coach has developed a host of Wallabies in Canberra, from the likes of George Smith in the early 2000s to current-day stars including Alaalatoa and Nick Frost.

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Alaalatoa acknowledged it will be hard to say goodbye to his mentor, but said the best way to farewell Fisher is to send him out on a high.

"He's someone that's given so much to the club," Alaalatoa said. "He first gave me my opportunity in 2013 here at the Brumbies and was a huge part of why I stayed here at the Brumbies.

"I knew being coached by Lordie I was only going to grow as a player. He'll tell you how it is, no matter who you are he'll tell you straight. It's definitely a motivating factor to do everything I can to get a good result for him."

The Brumbies will begin the process of finishing Fisher's tenure on top when they take on the Hurricanes in Wellington on Friday night.

The squad has regrouped after a week off, with Alaalatoa among 11 ACT players to spend three days in camp with the Wallabies.

It was the first chance for new Australian coach Eddie Jones to unite his squad ahead of a busy year, culminating with a World Cup.

Veterans and rookies alike arrived on the Gold Coast apprehensive and nervous about what was to come, however Alaalatoa said the players departed with a full understanding of Jones' expectations.

"The boys have definitely come away a lot more comfortable than they were when we first walked in," he said. "When we first arrived the boys weren't sure what was going on, we didn't know what to expect.

"He had a cattle prod one of the first two meetings and he got the boys on edge. That's just the way he is but it's exciting. We've come away with a lot of belief, a good understanding as individuals of how we need to improve and how we improve in Super Rugby games coming up."

While many Australian fans have embraced the local derbies and fierce rivalries with the likes of the Waratahs and Reds, Jones has placed a greater emphasis on games against New Zealand franchises when picking his Wallabies squad.

The Western Force's win over the Otago Highlanders on Saturday night was just the second by an Australian team over a Kiwi opposition this year, after ACT beat the Auckland Blues in round two.

As a result, Friday's clash with the Hurricanes takes on even greater meaning from both an individual and team perspective. It's a fact not lost on anyone at the Brumbies as they return from the bye.

"It's huge," Alaalatoa said. "[James Slipper] stood up in the beginning of camp and said the most important thing is to waste no time. That continues on post-camp.

"It's about having a good understanding as individuals how you need to grow and what you need to do to be selected for the next camp. We can't waste any time coming here to the Brumbies, we've got to get the most out of every day and make your gains as an individual to give yourself that opportunity."

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