Lynchpin Brodie Retallick's return for the Chiefs will be a case of better late than never.
With their season hanging in the balance, the All Blacks lock seems set to reclaim his number-five jersey for their crucial contest against the Rebels in their final regular-season game of 2019.
The 28-year-old hasn't played since tearing ligaments in his wrist against the Blues in week nine.
The Hamilton-based side's late-season surge has put them in a position to clinch a playoff berth with a bonus point win in Melbourne, and Retallick is primed to contribute to the cause.
"It's about time, eh?" Retallick said with a grin at Monday's training session. "I'm definitely excited about getting back out there against the Rebels."
The 73-test international has been a keen sideline spectator, watching on with "massive" pride, as his side battled to hard-fought victories to keep their season alive, most notably in their defensive stand to beat the Reds and comeback win over the Crusaders in Suva.
"To show that fight, there's no questioning our heart or commitment. We can score tries and we can make tackles, so if we can just do that for 80 minutes…
"It's do or die for both teams this week - that's what we're going to need to do."
The nature of his injury has meant Retallick has still been able to train and maintain his fitness levels through his eight-week absence, and he admits the rest has been hugely beneficial.
"I'm pretty confident in terms of all that. It will just be dealing with things under pressure that you can't really get from training.
"But I'm pretty happy with where I've got to skill-wise and physically. We'll have a bit of intensity at training tomorrow and get stuck in… then just go out and play."
Retallick shapes as the ideal antidote to the Rebels' lineout prowess, where the Australians have established themselves as the competition's best at stealing opposition ball.
The Rebels will be licking their wounds after a 66-0 demolition at the hands of the Crusaders on Saturday and Retallick believes the defending champs have laid the rough blueprint for victory over the Victorians.
"They're very disruptive at lineout time… we've come up with a good plan. I can't give too much away, but I think if we get there, and speed the game up and keep the ball in play, that's where the Crusaders came out on top of them.
"Hopefully, then, we won't have to deal with too many lineouts and keep the tempo up."
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