The 2025 British and Irish Lions tour will be a significant one for Allan Alaalatoa - and not just for the chance to play in a once-in-a-lifetime event.
Alaalatoa has been on the comeback trail since a cruel Achilles injury robbed him of the chance to attend the 2023 Rugby World Cup - with the Brumbies prop returning to the national side with a vengeance under Joe Schmidt.
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It turns out as well that the star player missed out on facing the Lions by a whisker in 2013, the first time he played at a professional level.
"To be involved in that squad is a dream come true," Alaalatoa admitted to reporters on Thursday.
"I started back in 2013, so I thought I kind of missed that window.
"To be here and one step closer to potentially being there, it's a great feeling. But again, to give yourself the opportunity to be there, you've got to keep preparing well and playing well.
"It's really exciting to be able to see your name being read out.
"You want to be bringing your best self, you want to be putting your best foot forward for our country to make sure that we do everyone proud.
"That's probably the message that we're going to keep giving to our boys, that just being named today isn't good enough.
"We have a job to do and we want to make sure that we're preparing well and playing well."
The squad has some with some key inclusions - with Will Skelton set to reunite with Alaalatoa in the scrum and provide significant physicality and leadership against the Lions pack.
"Weight-wise, [he's] massive," Alaalatoa admitted.
"But I think also just the value that he has from his experience. He's been a part of some world-class teams - physically, he's massive in the field.
"It's also what he has off the field, around his leadership, his experience, the way that he's able to galvanise the group and connect the group is very valuable. We saw that when he came back.
"I've known him for a while now, so I've always known that he's a great person and character to have around the group, so it's great to see him back in."
Alaalatoa might have come back the long way round from his Achilles injury, however he is not the only star in gold to also have done so - with Taniela Tupou also named in the squad despite not playing at his best.
Despite the challenges, Alaalatoa knows from experience the challenge it is to come back to his best from injury - and backs Taniela to be able to do so.
"I think for me personally, it took a little while, for sure," Alaalatoa admitted.
"You go through the whole rehab process and you do all the physical tests and you know it's good, but then you saw those mental battles when you're going back into the scrum and playing under fatigue.
"Then it's the game after game after game, and you get put in different scenarios into similar pictures in how you did it in the first place. There's plenty of mental barriers there.
"We all know the value that he brings when he's at his best, but I think more so when he's happy. I think the coaches have a lot of faith in him.
"In terms of someone, for myself, who's a close mate of his, it's also a part of our job to make sure that he's enjoying the environment: that he's happy, and that we can help try and bring the best out of his preparation and then hopefully into a game.
"I'd love to see Big ‘Nel at his best because I know that he will contribute massively to the jersey."
The question around who will lead the Wallabies is still up in the air, despite the announcement of the squad.
Despite being a likely frontrunner and a core part of the leadership group, Alaalatoa remained coy on who will wear the armband.
"It's always an honour to represent your country, but then to lead your country," Alaalatoa said.
"What we do know within the squad last year and this year is that there's a lot of great leaders in the team, men who have led their Super Rugby teams, but also men who have had that experience from overseas.
"From my experience, being a captain for the Brumbies is that I just know how important the contribution of the leadership group is."
Much has been made of the experience Andy Farrell has turned to with his front row, but Alaalatoa backs the Wallabies' depth to be more than a match for the men in red.
"I've got great confidence in this squad," Alaalatoa re-affirmed.
"It's a well-settled squad, a squad who have been together for the last couple of years, who have the experience of versing those props over there in the UK. I think we're going to lean on that massively.
"We know who we're versing, we know the depth that they have, but more importantly for me is for the boys to understand what we can bring and how we're going to bring that."
