I always get asked – “Was it a life-long ambition to follow your Dad’s footsteps into rugby.”

I guess being so close with my family, I grew up wanting to emulate everything that my Dad did.

I naturally gravitated and fell in love with rugby and luckily enough to this day I have had the opportunity to make it a career.

So I think as a kid life the dream was there, but as I grew little bit older that dream began to foster and come into fruition.

As many of the game’s fans would know, Dad played for Samoa and was part of the 1991 World Cup squad.

That team changed the face of rugby in Samoa and internationally, making it a lot more competitive, so they were big shoes to fill growing up.

Like he always says “lucky we loved rugby”, it was easy for me to share the same passion as us for it as well”.

Dad always supported my family and I in everything we did, no matter what we wanted to do.

All he asked was that we approached all things we the same passion he displayed for rugby.

We played a bit of league as well when I was younger, but I guess I just loved everything about rugby and the fact that anyone could play it.

Of course, just like many other young boys, Dad was my hero.

I wanted to play for Samoa and be like him; as I got a bit older, and got a bit smarter, I learnt the game properly.

I started to follow the likes of Toutai Kefu, George Smith and these guys.

I was playing back row as a young player and these are the guys I generally gravitated towards and I guess that’s where my love for the Wallabies came and my passion to be able to play with them one day, with following these guys they were sort of my rugby heroes growing up and guys I hopefully wanted to play alongside or follow with one day.

I think one of the things someone mentioned to me the other day was how you feel when you play as a kid, you know that sort of carefree attitude where you just enjoy playing with your friends and just want to throw the ball around and make some big hits and when you really put the game down, that’s really what it is at the end of the day.

I think one of the things I want to go back to and keep building again that I have for the last couple of years and just enjoy the game again, enjoy rugby for what it is and you know hopefully that will sort of dumb down a lot of the pressure that we’re under all the time.

I’ve had a few setbacks in the last couple of years with injuries and I guess fortunate part of it is that I have had a few so I know how to sort of build my routine around rehab and moving forward with it and not just sort of sitting back and resting on it, and sort of wondering why this has happened.

I guess I sort of go into a rehab mode, where I just know my timeline and what are the little goals we set for each day and each week and just how fast can I get back onto the field and be ready to go. It’s good to be back out on the field, there’s no other feeling like playing rugby, so I’m definitely cherishing it.

What I’ve learnt with injuries, that part of your body will never quite be back to where it was when it was 100% but it’s an ongoing process, you’ve just got to stay on top of it.

The key is preparation and stay good with it, with the medical and strength and conditioning staff.

The ultimate goal is to win the Super Rugby, I think for us it’s understanding how we’re going to get there.

It’s a day to day process, just trying to instill in the boys how key preparation is, I think there’s a quote we used to use a lot, “you never rise to the level of expectation, you fall to the level of your training”.

I think that’s so evident in rugby if you’re not willing to do the work Monday to Friday, it’s not just going to happen for you on Saturday.

I mean technology in our game has just made everyone that much quicker and stronger, and that much fitter so you’ve got to have a bit of an edge somewhere else. I guess that’s where that mental part of the game comes in.

I think for us it’s not about setting too many big goals, it’s about making sure we’re turning up week in week out, doing the things that we need to, to make sure we’re in the best possible shape to play on Friday, Saturday or Sunday.

Instilling a culture of competitiveness and everyone is fighting for their spots is what we’re trying to build here, you’re not picked off reputation you’re making sure that we’re going to pick the right guys and the guys that have been putting in everyday and every week.

Each week is a new opportunity to put your hand up for selection.

I guess like any year, that’s the way I’ve treated it, is making sure that I’m playing above and beyond and just some great consistent rugby for the Brumbies, week in week out.

And if come June I’m selected and given the opportunity, like I said I cherish every moment I get to play in the Wallabies jersey and represent Australia.

So when that time comes around, if I get that opportunity I’ll be more than happy to play and make the most of it.

For now I guess I’m focusing on trying to stay on the field for the Brumbies and not get injured again.