With all Australian teams eliminated from Super Rugby Pacific, attention turns to who will feature for the Wallabies in next month's British & Irish Lions series.
Coach Joe Schmidt is set to name an extended squad later this week for the Fiji Test, with several players pushing for selection before this is likely dwindled down ahead of the three-Test series.
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This includes Super Rugby standouts and overseas options as the Wallabies look to take down the Lions for the first time since 2001.
'The Debate' returns in time for the Lions series and each Rugby.com.au writer has picked one bolter that should be considered for the squad.
A few years ago, hooker was one of the hardest positions for the Wallabies to fill after the departure of Stephen Moore, but today there is no shortage of great options: Matt Faessler and Josh Nasser, Billy Pollard and Lachlan Lonergan, former Wallaby captain Dave Porecki, to Brandon Paenga-Amosa at the Force.
Nic Dolly had his work cut out to rise up the pecking order when he signed west, having to scrap with Paenga-Amosa and rising star Tom Horton - yet he has featured in all bar one match for the Force in 2025, serving as both an effective finisher and starter.
Contributing to the Force having one of the strongest lineouts in the competition, Dolly picked up five tries for his efforts, as well as achieving an average success rate of 89.2% for his lineout throws across the season.
Also working as an effective ball carrier, Dolly also averaged over 12 tackles per game on defence.
He is a player who has gone looking for work, showing exactly why he has featured across the England system for several years.
With Jeremy Williams and Carlo Tizzano likely to feature in the Wallaby squad and Darcy Swain also set to challenge for a position after his strong form at the lineout, Joe Schmidt could lean on more Force players to mastermind the lineout, which could play in Dolly's favour.
While the likes of Corey Toole, Mac Grealy and Triston Reilly have all impressed at times throughout the Super Rugby Pacific season, there's a case to be made for another uncapped flyer - Queensland's Lachlan Anderson.
The Reds winger has been one of Australia's most consistent outside backs through 2025 and finished equal fourth on the Super Rugby try-scorers list (eight) but didn't have the highlight reel to match until his breakout performance against the Drua.
That game showcased the best of his abilities with four tries in 38 minutes - two from held width and pace, another from a tough carry in tight, and a clean kick receipt in driving rain.
Anderson's 188cm frame and power game is well suited to the Test arena - he ranked third for overall carry metres for Queensland (sixth for post-contact) and was the Reds' second-highest for offloads this season.
The Tokyo Olympic Sevens player is also gifted on the defensive scramble with four try-saving tackles in 2025 and his versatility across both wings and outside centre is highly regarded by current Reds boss and Wallabies coach-in-waiting Les Kiss.
It would be a huge call to select Anderson in a Test squad - especially when you throw in the likes of capped outsiders Marika Koroibete, Darby Lancaster, Kurtley Beale and Dylan Pietsch with those aforementioned wingers and a likely Test crop of Filipo Daugunu, Harry Potter, Andrew Kellaway and Max Jorgensen.
However, there's no doubt a strong performance in the Reds jersey could pave way for an AUNZ appearance and if "Lando" takes off, who knows how high he'll climb?
If Joe Schmidt is looking to the future, Teddy Wilson is the man that should be considered for a shock call-up to the Wallabies squad.
Wilson is behind Waratahs captain Jake Gordon at club level but showed his ability in 2025 with some brilliant performances.
His running game and distribution have improved significantly in the past 12 months as he continues his development at Daceyville.
Out of the Australian scrumhalves, he was first for offloads (12), second in tries (three) and defenders beaten (10) behind Tate McDermott. His pass success rate was also comparatively solid compared to Gordon and McDermott.
Wilson has been viewed as a Wallaby in waiting ever since he captained the Junior Wallabies.
Whilst his positioning at club level will throw many people off, it’s not out of the ordinary for replacement halves to be selected at the national level. In 2021, Ryan Lonergan was selected alongside Nic White by Dave Rennie whilst Issak Fines-Leleiwasa had just eight starts for the Force in 2023 before his World Cup selection.
If Gordon starts, then there’s a natural combination between the two as starter/finisher.
Lonergan is firming as the third option alongside Nic White but Wilson absolutely should be considered.
