12 months ago, Noah Lolesio was returning from France unsure of where his future lay.
Now, the Brumbies playmaker is the man in charge ready to take on the British and Irish Lions as the Wallabies enter camp in Sydney.
Lolesio started the final nine games of the 2024 season, including both Bledisloe Tests and the Spring Tour.
It’s a stark contrast from past years for the 25-year-old, where Lolesio was twice handed the reigns to start the year before being replaced by a veteran flyhalf.
The Brumbies flyhalf knows he has to back it up in Super Rugby this year, but admits it’s been benefical to have that vote of confidence.
“It’s been nice, obviously Joe has backed me in the majority of the games last year which is great but at the same time I’ve got to meet halfway as well and put the work in,” he told reporters.
“It’s not so much a confidence thing, it’s more just putting in the work during the week and then hopefully putting in good performances on the weekends where it really matters.
“I think, especially in the Spring Tour, as a whole team collectively we bought into the attacking game plan a bit more and it made my job a lot easier I thought…I felt like as a whole squad we understood how we wanted to play and I thought we played a pretty good brand of footy over there.”
Lolesio has earmarked his in-play kicking as a major focus for 2025, which has been a constant work-on since his debut.
He knows he can’t be complacent with a host of flyhalves ready to contest the starting position.
NSW Waratah Tane Edmed bolted into contention in time for a debut against Ireland, with Ben Donaldson and Tom Lynagh used throughout 2024 by Schmidt.
Beyond that, Jack Bowen and Harry McLaughlin-Phillips are amongst the next generation who have shown their class at Super Rugby and U20 levels.
“It’s healthy competition. I think it’s doing nothing but making us better,” Lolesio said.
“It was awesome throughout the year too because we were helping each other a lot with cues and how we want to play and attack.
“As a fly half group, we’re really trying to take the next step forward especially heading into the end of the season which is a big one.”
