It’s the albatross hanging around the Western Force’s neck - after 20 years of so close but so far, can the pride of WA make a maiden finals appearance in Super Rugby Pacific?
With only two weeks' break for the Australian players either side of the holiday season, preparations will begin quickly for the Super Rugby Pacific season, which kicks off in mid-February.
Watch every second of Super Rugby Pacific live and on demand via Stan Sport.
Rugby.com.au dives deep into all the talking points for the Australian Super Rugby sides ahead of the 2026 season commencing.
So, where do the men in Perth sit?
History records the Western Force finishing in ninth place in the 2025 Super Rugby season, which, as the ultimate metric of success, suggests a disappointing year. However, it forgets how close the Force came to that elusive finals appearance.
The WA side had a finals spot to their name all the way up until Round 11 - after which a horror tour of New Zealand, a big loss in Fiji, and two defeats to the Brumbies and Waratahs saw the side drop five matches on the trot and slip down the ladder.
Had they defeated the Hurricanes in Round 10 and beaten the Waratahs in that close Round 15 clash, it likely would have been enough to get them over the line, such is the nature of Super Rugby.
The sixth match in question was, of course, the inaugural Super Rugby AUS final, with an exciting group of players making it all the way to a home final, only for the Waratahs to spoil the party in Wanneroo.
It was a disappointing end, but what made it more so was the fact that, after the last three years of building under Simon Cron and his staff, the Force now looks like a side ready to make finals.
A major reason for the capitulation at the back end of the Super Rugby Pacific season was, like for several seasons at the Force, a collapse of their scrum and set piece.
The WA side has had an unlucky run of form over the last few years when it comes to their front rows, often losing multiple players to long sideline stints, including Harry Hoopert, Atu Moli, Bo Abra, and, in 2025, Harry Johnson-Holmes.
The result saw the Force relying on short-term contracts to fill the gap, and while it unearthed a lot of potential, such as players like Ryan Coxon, such talent ultimately struggled against full Wallaby and All Black front rows.
However, the 2025 season wasn’t all bad news on the set-piece front - with the Force lineout under the stewardship of Darcy Swain and Jeremy Williams becoming one of the strongest in the whole competition (and best defensive club lineout worldwide), and the maul yielding great results, with Carlo Tizzano topping the try count across the entire competition.
With two solid international hookers in Brandon Paenga-Amosa and Nic Dolly, the Force have turned their focus to improving their prop depth, and what they have found will (hopefully) give them enough to ensure the scrum stays strong.
Wallaby incumbent Tom Robertson will be joined by a fit Johnson-Holmes, with WA local proving Marley Pearce a great find for the side long term.
The Force have added Tongan international Feao Fotuaika, fresh off a season with the Brumbies, and 85-capped former Reds prop Sef Fa'agase to beef up their prop stocks, with two signings set to prove their weight in gold at the back end of the season.
Add in a new forwards coach in Craig Dunlea, and the Force’s set piece is set for a big revamp.
In addition to the front row, the Force have been busy adding further depth, bringing international stars in combination with rising talent.
Headlining the new arrivals is All Black George Bridge and Los Pumas stars Franco Molina and Agustin Moyano, adding to the rich connection of Argentinean stars playing in the WA capital.
This can be combined with exciting academy talent Boston Fakafanua joining full-time, as well as Wallaby and Sevens star Darby Lancaster and former Highlanders scrum-half Nathan Hastie, originally from Perth before moving to New Zealand as a teenager.
The results give the Force international options in every position, with 17 players with international experience available for selection, ten of whom are incumbents in their respective national sides.
That’s before you get to the likes of Kurtley Beale and the several young stars that excelled in Super Rugby AUS, such as Vaiolini Ekuasi, Henry Robertson, and Player of the Tournament, Max Burey.
With a side like this, there is no shortage of talent, which in itself adds only more pressure to make that maiden finals berth.
Continuing a stars-aligning feel to 2026, the Force’s draw has always been a challenge given their proximity.
But, if you are among the most-travelled sides in the competition, breaking up the travel into blocks is the only solution. On that front, the draw provides that in spades.
Consecutive home games to kick off the season is ideal, even if they are against two difficult sides in the Brumbies and Blues.
An early three-week tour to New Zealand as one block is a challenge, but also has its opportunities: the side can bond on the road and have minimal travel (in 2023 the Force pushed the Highlanders, Blues and Hurricanes close in consecutive weeks).
The four matches either side of their byes are brutal, with trips to Brisbane and Fiji, plus home games against both finalists. Nabbing one win out of these four clashes would be crucial.
However, after their second bye, the Force will enjoy away games against the Waratahs and Brumbies, keeping travel to a minimum on the Australian east coast.
With three consecutive home games to round the season off, there is a lot of opportunity for Simon Cron's men to come home with a wet sail and qualify for a maiden final in front of their home fans.
Simon Cron will enter his fourth year as coach in the west, and it has been a period of massive change at the franchise.
Overseeing a side recovering after several years in the wilderness, Cron has leaned into the history made over the last few decades, with a focus on building a multicultural club reflective of the melting pot that is WA, one that sees more players seeing the Force as a desirable club to grow their game.
On that front, Cron and the wider Western Force staff have excelled, with the Force becoming an increasingly vital part of the Australian rugby ecosystem.
Now, to complete his impact, the biggest challenge lies ahead - to take all those results and finally make that elusive maiden finals berth as the next critical step.
If a side is good enough to make finals, then they are good enough to win a title.
