Western Force coach Simon Cron believes debutant Alex Harford can make a big difference as they prepare to face the Fijian Drua in Lautoka.
Cron opted for the former Auckland and Canterbury playmaker to start against the Drua, with the club needing a win to stay in contention for the finals.
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The Force has used Max Burey and Coby Miln in previous weeks, but they believe Harford has the game to thrive at Churchill Park as they look to freshen up Ben Donaldson off the bench.
Harford is eligible for Australia through his grandparents, with Leon Macdonald driving the connection with the Force.
"His cousin lives in Perth, so we were having a chat to him early on in the season when we had a few injuries," Cron explained to the media.
"He's a great game driver with a really smart Rugby brain and a guy that we think long term could be really beneficial for us at the Force.
"When we found out through Leon that Alex was Australian qualified and had been in and around Super franchises for a couple of years, and the positives around his game, we caught up with him. His personality type fits in really well with our group."
Cron was eager to recruit similarly Australian-eligible players in the future who could help bolster the club whilst adding depth at a national level.
"It's critical for us. One of our biggest jobs is to create Wallabies and to produce the next tier of Rugby player for Australia," he said.
"Being Australian qualified just makes it so much better for us if we can add those guys from outside of the current framework of Australia and go and find them.
"...There's a few guys over in Japan I'd love to bring back who are Australian qualified, but I can't hook them at the moment.
The Force head to Fiji on another long-distance journey, clocking up over 55,000 kilometres over the season, without a host of Wallabies.
Nic White, Harry Potter and Hamish Stewart have been rested after carrying knocks throughout the season.
Meanwhile, Carlo Tizzano (pec) and Dylan Pietsch (thigh) remain out, with a view towards being fit for next week's match with the NSW Waratahs.
They need a bonus point win to boost their finals hopes, with the club set for a last round bye.
"The boys have talked a lot about that this week what we need to do going into this game, and they've been really focused," Cron added.
"We just have to get them moving this week and get them ready for Saturday."
