'I was 50-50': Brumbies star's huge contract call after Eddie rejection

The Brumbies and Rugby Australia will announce Lolesio's one-year contract extension on Wednesday morning before the team flies to Auckland for a semi-final showdown with the Blues.

He is the latest Brumby to recommit to Canberra, with Corey Toole also set to sign an extension and Tom Hooper poised to make a call on his future in the coming days.

It means the Brumbies have locked in the core of their squad for next year and beyond, with Lolesio the chief playmaker and cementing his place as one of Australia's top flyhalves.

The 24-year-old has been one of the most maligned players in Australian rugby since bursting on to the Super Rugby stage in 2020 and making his Wallabies debut in the same year.

In a candid interview, Lolesio opened up about finding his love of rugby again, the pressure of being earmarked as a future Wallabies star and his desire to lead the Brumbies to the title this year.

"I'm stoked I'm here for another year and hopefully playing good footy for the Brumbies gets me in a spot for higher honours," Lolesio said.

"If I'm being honest, I didn't have any idea what I was going to do at the start of the year. It was 50-50 on staying and leaving [Australia] because of what happened last year.

"But there's a good vibe at the moment in Canberra, there's a new Wallabies coach in Joe Schmidt. I considered all options, but my gut feeling was to stay for a year and see how it goes and I'm super happy. It was a no-brainer in the end."

Lolesio has yo-yoed in and out of the Wallabies squad since making his Test debut at the end of the 2020 season despite the Brumbies dominating most of the past four years while he called the shots.

The frustrating period culminated in Lolesio being overlooked by Eddie Jones for all of last year. Jones instead anointed Carter Gordon the best No. 10 in Australia before he dropped Gordon during the World Cup campaign.

Lolesio admits he was hurt by the Jones omission. But by the time the World Cup rolled around, he had already accepted his fate and signed a temporary deal to play in France with Toulon.

And rather than dwell on the snub by Jones, Lolesio has turned what he describes as the "toughest year of my career" into a positive.

"With everything going on and not being a part of the Wallabies, it took a toll on me footy wise," Lolesio said.

"Finding out I wasn't in that first Wallabies squad [Jones named], that hit home. But my partner, family and the Brumbies boys got me through that.

"But I believe everything happens for a reason. If I was in the Wallabies I wouldn't have got an opportunity to go to Toulon and I really think that was a blessing in disguise that last year happened.

"Because this year I feel like I've played the most consistent footy of my career so far. I wouldn't say I'm a better player, but things are in perspective. Not putting so much pressure on myself. I was my harshest critic when I had a bad game.

"I can now accept that not every game is going to be perfect and I just get on with it. It's just more of a mindset shift than anything."

Lolesio has only had one meeting with new Wallabies coach Schmidt, who took over from Jones after a disastrous 12 months for Australian rugby.

"I think I've loosened up a bit this year and I learnt that in France. It's more just playing footy for me and I'm enjoying that, and I'm really pushing that enjoyment factor. When I do that, I tend to play well," he said.

Lolesio was talked about as the next big thing in Australian rugby almost immediately after his debut in the COVID-interrupted season of 2020. He performed well enough to earn his Test debut later that year, but hasn't been able to get regular international game time.

Many consider him the unluckiest player in Australia, especially given he's clearly the best goal kicker of the No. 10 options.

"I've gone through the highs and lows of international rugby at 24 years old. I've learnt a lot in that time," Lolesio said.

"In Australian rugby when a player goes well, all of a sudden they're the next Wallaby. In my opinion it's putting way too much stress and pressure on that individual.

"We should let players find their feet in Super Rugby, let them enjoy it without that pressure from a young age. I'd hate for someone else to go through what I did."

Schmidt has so far kept his Wallabies selection cards close to his chest. His first squad will be announced when the Super Rugby campaign finishes, and Lolesio is competing with Gordon, Ben Donaldson and Tom Lynagh for the main playmaker role.

The Brumbies will be aiming to break an Eden Park hoodoo and to become the first Australian team to win a semi-final in New Zealand when they face the Blues on Friday night.

The one thing Lolesio boasts that his rival Australian playmakers don't is big-game experience. He has played in either finals, or semi-finals, in every year of his career so far.

The Brumbies have fallen at the semi-final hurdle in the past two years. They lost the Super Rugby Australia final in 2021 and won the final in 2020.

"The challenge doesn't get any bigger than this. We've fallen short by some close margins in finals, so really looking forward to this one. We've got to front up," Lolesio said.

"We've been in this situation a few too many times now. As a whole group we've learnt from that and what we need to be better at. Throughout this season [Stephen Larkham] has been pushing short and long-term goals.

"We're probably more calm, clear and composed about what needs to be done. We're ready for any situation that comes our way."