Brumbies forward shuts down NRL speculation in major contract call

The 23-year-old attracted interest from multiple rugby league clubs when he left school and came close to joining the NRL before turning down an offer from the South Sydney Rabbitohs to join the Brumbies pathways program in 2019.

A Super Rugby debut followed in 2021 and he has become a mainstay in the squad for the past two years.

Reimer finds himself in a competitive battle for a place in the team for Friday night's season opener against the Melbourne Rebels, with the Brumbies boasting a stacked backrow unit.

Tom Hooper, Rob Valetini and Jahrome Brown provide plenty of size and physicality, while Rory Scott plays the pilfering openside flanker role Reimer has also adopted in recent years.

Given the competition, the 23-year-old would be forgiven for looking to the NRL when pondering his future and there were rumours he was on a rugby league hit list after Wallabies star Mark Nawaqanitawase signed with the Roosters.

Reimer, however, declared he was never considering the rival code and showed his commitment to the Brumbies by signing a new two-year deal.

"I love it here," he said. "I love Canberra, I've made it my home away from home, which was a massive part of coming down from Sydney.

"The footy is good and the program's unreal. The culture among the boys in the club was a major factor in me staying and I wouldn't want to play for any other club."

Reimer is the first domino to fall for the Brumbies as they look to negotiate new deals for 17 players coming off contract at the end of the year.

The off-season upheaval at Rugby Australia has delayed talks with nationally contracted players, however it is hoped the arrival of new Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt will allow the club to accelerate conversations.

Hooper headlines the list of off-contract players and is joined by Corey Toole, Noah Lolesio, Darcy Swain and Ollie Sapsford.

There are fears Swain will join the Western Force and Lolesio has flirted with international offers in the past but Brumbies officials recently launched a fresh push to retain the emerging flyhalf.

Coach Stephen Larkham is also poised to sign a new two-year contract extension that will see him remain at the club until 2026.

Reimer may not boast the profile of some of his teammates, but he's a crucial piece of the team's forward pack. The flanker produced the play of the season last year when he put his arm underneath Wellington Hurricanes star Ardie Savea to deny a try and secure the ACT a gripping quarter-final victory.

The 23-year-old is eager to build on last year's performances and has embraced the competition for spots in the back row.

"The competition has always been good," he said. "Losing [Pete Samu to French club Bordeaux] is a testament to the people stepping up into that role. It's always been competitive and it gets everyone to drive their best game.

"You never want to get complacent in your starting spot, no matter who you are. Having that competition really helps drive me and helps the boys aspire to keep pushing the coaches, giving them some more headaches."

The Brumbies have made plenty of changes throughout the off-season as they look to make the leap from semi-final appearance to grand final.

Among the biggest has been the arrival of former ACT and Australian skipper Ben Mowen as defence coach. The ex-player took over from legendary assistant Laurie Fisher and recognises he has big shoes to fill.

Reimer said Mowen has brought a new energy to the team and declared the Brumbies pack is determined to punish their opponents in defence.

"We want to be known as a wall with our connection and our aggression," he said. "We want teams to walk away feeling sore after the game.

"That's a good thing to have when teams are second guessing about running directly when we have good defenders."