Wallabies utility Josh Kemeny is making up for lost time as he looks to secure a dream Test debut.
Kemeny was one of eight uncapped players named in Eddie Jones' 33-player squad for the Rugby Championship.
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It's been a remarkable journey for the backrower-turned-potential wing option since his first call-up to the national squad in April 2021.
A couple of months late, Kemeny went up to Brisbane to play some club footy to press his case, only to suffer an ACL injury that derailed his momentum and considerable set him back.
“I was excited to get some Rugby in and for the new challenge…15 minutes into the first game I made a line break and stepped off my left at full speed and my ACL went,” he said at the start of the year.
“I remember when the physio ran on and I said ‘you need to check my ACL because I think I’ve done it’ so I definitely had that feeling straight away.
"It was quite clear there and then that I was going to have a long and difficult road ahead that I needed to step up for on my own because my housemate had moved overseas to pursue a deal in the UK and then borders and lockdowns left a lot of players away from Melbourne and my family couldn’t then get down from NSW.
“It’s the first major injury I’ve had since Rugby has been my career and it's something that’s fully overcome me. Before Rugby was a massive thing in my life, but I was also working and studying, living with friends or family and had those support networks."
All up, it was a 16 month recovery after complications from a tendon graft after surgery.
Kemeny came back on the Rebels' tour of Japan late in 2022 but saw his chances at a call-up almost slip away when he spent three weeks on the sidelines from round 11 with a dangerous tackle ban.
"It was a long rehab," Kemeny said to reporters on Monday.
"To find some confidence and stay on the park this year was my goal and everything that's come with it has been a massive bonus.
"I was absolutely gutted for Rebels (when suspended) but 100 per cent I was gutted (for myself). I thought I'd really knocked myself back a few pegs by missing those weeks but I just made sure that when I got back out there for the last few games I put my best foot forward.
"To get my foot through the door and my name on the list, that was all I cared about and I'm just going to work from there."
Given his history, it's easy to see why Kemeny is more than comfortable with the 'utility' tag, even if he might not have played a single minute growing up as an outside back.
"It's news to me but to be part of the squad and add impact wherever I can is what I want to do," he added.
"It's not necessarily something that I've done as a junior or that I've been chasing to do, but if it's going to add some value to the team I'm happy to do that."
