Andrew Kellaway went from starting for the Wallabies at Twickenham to playing at Brumbies HQ with the Waratahs ‘A’ side in less than five months.
The 30-year-old returns to Canberra eager to prove the doubters wrong on his return to Super Rugby Pacific against the Brumbies on Friday.
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Kellaway started three of the final five Tests for the Wallabies at fullback, yet has been used sporadically by coach Dan McKellar.
He has featured just once in 2026, with the likes of Sid Harvey and James Hendren preferred to start in the outside backs.
This came in a heavy 59-19 defeat to the Hurricanes, with Kellaway re-introduced three weeks later following a quad injury to Harry Potter.
“It's been a tough couple of months, so it’s nice to be back in the mix," he told reporters.
“I’m not the first bloke and won’t be the last to be on the other side of the selection decision, so you’ve got to remember that.
“I’ve been extremely happy with the way I’ve been training for the last two months, so that’s all you can do in those situations. I’m glad that I’ve put my head down and got on with it.”
During his time out of the Waratahs side, Kellaway was taken back to the roots of the game after suiting up for their reserve grade side against their Brumbies counterparts.
He found himself laughing at every joke by Australia U20s centre Leo Jaques and former Australia U18S standout Zac Fittler, labelling the pair 'thick as thieves' and Jaques as one of the funniest guys he's come across.
Whilst the eight-hour round trip was a nightmare on his knees, Kellaway loved the chance to strip the game back and remember why he played it.
“It was certainly different to the game I played before that or the game before that in Dublin in front of 58,000 people," he reflected.
“It's a different approach, a different perspective. It actually was really fun, some guys in that group are going to be exceptional players so to be able to have a chance to help them through has been really good.
“I could sit there and mope and say how s*** it is to sit on the bus for four hours, play a game and get back on the bus, but nobody wins out of that and especially not me. It's just a decision. You've got to make the decision at some point to get on with it.”
Kellaway has no hard feelings toward coach McKellar, understanding the nature of the business better than most, having played across New Zealand, Japan and England.
"Dan's a great coach...he had to drop people and select people in the past and we both know that's part of the day. At the end of the day, there's no bad blood there," he said.
Now, on his return, Kellaway will go out there on Friday with more than just the result on his mind.
The outside back is one of the most high-profile players off-contract at the end of the year, eager to prove he still has what it takes.
“My training form's been as good as it's been throughout my career so that's all I can do and I'm at peace with that. I certainly feel extremely content and extremely satisfied with what I've put out, and at the end of the day, I don't make a decision," Kellaway adds.
“...I haven’t had a great deal of opportunities this year and I’d like to get back on the field. Probably at this point, really, it's about proving to myself and some people in the building here that I've still got what it takes to be at this level.
“Once I've had a chance to do that, then we'll see.”
