Don't pack away the faded caps, the cow print jerseys or the Brumbies beanies just yet. If you haven't worn one for a while, maybe it's time to think about it.
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Because what if I told you the ACT Brumbies could still play a Super Rugby Pacific grand final at Canberra Stadium this season?
"Mate, that would be massive," Brumbies captain Allan Alaalatoa said.
Sure, the Brumbies need to beat the Blues in a semi-final at Eden Park, where no ACT team has won in 11 years. And they need the Chiefs to beat the top-ranked Hurricanes at the Wellington cake tin.
But a Super Rugby decider at Canberra Stadium is within the realms of possibility and ACT rugby fans can dare to dream as the competition enters its final fortnight.
Even Brumbies chief executive Phil Thomson jokes he'll be a Chief for a day when they face the Hurricanes on Saturday - provided the ACT can overcome a six-day turnaround to march into Eden Park and bring down the Blues' fortress on Friday night.
A grand final in Canberra should be the kind of yarn Australian rugby supremos yearn for as they begin to pick up the pieces of the Melbourne Rebels' tearful exit from the Super Rugby stage.
![Brumbies captain Allan Alaalatoa is buzzing about the challenge at Eden Park. Picture by Keegan Carroll Brumbies captain Allan Alaalatoa is buzzing about the challenge at Eden Park. Picture by Keegan Carroll](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/36vwtM5n3dmMVgNPycRBEHz/5da39e0d-8753-445b-ad16-0075a2ca0f17.jpg/r0_307_6000_3694_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
What they would give for a spectacle to match the 2004 decider, when a record 28,753 filled every seat Canberra Stadium has to offer - including temporary stands built to cater for the demand - as Joe Roff and the Brumbies ran riot against the Crusaders.
Whether a Super Rugby final would sell out Canberra Stadium today is up for debate - but maybe the appetite is there. After all, 41,637 watched a Brumbies-Queensland Reds classic in the 2021 Super Rugby AU decider. And the 6000 tickets on offer for the 2020 AU final in Canberra were snapped up almost as quickly as you could catch COVID-19.
One thing is certain: the Brumbies would be bloody hard to beat at home. They are unbeaten at Canberra Stadium this year and have dropped just three home games in as many years.
What better way to farewell outgoing Brumbies Jahrome Brown, Darcy Swain, Connal McInerney, Fred Kaihea, Ed Kennedy and Tamati Tua than a home grand final?
"For our fans, especially the ones that come out and brave the cold, you can really feel the vibe when they get behind us. It's such a special place to play here, it's really been our fortress," Alaalatoa said.
![The Brumbies played in front of their highest home crowd figure of the season. Pictures by Keegan Carroll The Brumbies played in front of their highest home crowd figure of the season. Pictures by Keegan Carroll](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/36vwtM5n3dmMVgNPycRBEHz/339ddb00-9f9d-46b7-b5cf-7a5f724d9a93.jpg/r0_25_5699_3242_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"I don't think we've dropped a game here all season, and those numbers speak for themselves and how special this place is. For us to get that is massive, but we know we've got a massive challenge in front of us.
"I love it, man. That's why you play rugby, to be a part of games like this. To be a professional rugby player is one thing, but you want to be going up against the best in tough conditions and we're going to get that.
"In an ideal world, we'd love to be here in front of our families and fans [for a semi-final], but it's just not what the script wrote. It's an awesome challenge I know all the boys would embrace."
The Brumbies have been here before. They have dropped back-to-back semi-finals in New Zealand, and two years ago their title dream ended in a one-point loss at Eden Park.
So why can this be different?
![The ACT Brumbies are undefeated at Canberra Stadium this year. Picture by Keegan Carroll The ACT Brumbies are undefeated at Canberra Stadium this year. Picture by Keegan Carroll](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/36vwtM5n3dmMVgNPycRBEHz/b9e6dd35-8bf0-40ca-8e33-46da3ff94a5b.jpg/r0_415_8126_5002_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"Most importantly, the experience the boys got understanding firstly what it's like to be in a semi-final, but another thing is understanding what it's like to be in a semi-final away from home," Alaalatoa said.
"It's the little things that are going to give you the ascendancy away from home. The connection in this group is so tight, it's probably our point of difference here. We're going to lean on that heavily when it's only us out there in New Zealand."
The Brumbies farewelled their outgoing players in front of fans after a quarter-final win over the Highlanders. Swain's message was they still have "two to get".
And maybe one more at home.
BATTLE OF THE BUSES AND BEERS
So, about that turf war. Former Brumbies prop Ben Alexander grins the south has risen again and declared The Dock has overtaken The RUC as the true spiritual home of rugby in the ACT.
![A packed bus on the way to Canberra Stadium via The Dock. Picture supplied A packed bus on the way to Canberra Stadium via The Dock. Picture supplied](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/36vwtM5n3dmMVgNPycRBEHz/69661a9e-2a84-4390-be04-1743faea6c6f.jpg/r0_283_644_843_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The RUC in Turner had challenged The Dock at Kingston Foreshore to a battle of the buses ahead of the quarter-final between the Brumbies and Highlanders, with the pubs battling to see who could get the most fans on a bus from their venue to Canberra Stadium.
Alexander, once a Wallabies prop and now owner of The Dock, reckons there was a time only one bus was needed to swing past three venues on the way to a game - and it still wouldn't be full by the time it arrived at Canberra Stadium.
But they filled three on the way to the quarter-final - and now Alexander has laid down a new challenge to see which pub can get a bigger crowd to watch Friday's semi-final against the Blues at Eden Park.
"We're thrilled to be recognised as the heart of community rugby in Canberra," Alexander said in a light-hearted media release.
"Once again, southsiders stood up to be counted, and northsiders were left with their thumbs up their arse. I'd like to thank Jem and The RUC for their efforts, but they can sit down and let us take it from here."