He watched from the grandstand the last time the Waratahs won the Super Rugby title but promoted winger Alex Newsome now has the chance to help them get back to that pinnacle.
Saturday's quarter-final against the Highlanders in Sydney will be the biggest game yet for 23-year-old Newsome, who hails from Glen Innes in the New England region of country NSW.
He was part of the NSW under-20s team the year the Tahs won their only Super Rugby title in 2014.
Newsome broke into that competition with the Western Force last year, appearing in most games of what turned out to be their final Super campaign.
He made four starts for NSW earlier in the season, with his last run-on appearance coming in a mid-season 29-0 loss to the Lions.
The Waratahs have played eight games since that loss, their biggest of the season.
"I had a few things to work on in the middle of the season and now I'm back playing some good footy," Newsome said.
"Just getting back to what I know works for me, playing my game and getting my involvements up.
"The last few weeks off the bench I've been touching the ball a lot and I''ve been making impacts on the team."
He replaces Cam Clark in a back three boasting superstar fullback Israel Folau and winger Taqele Naiyaravoro, the man who recently broke Folau's record for most Super Rugby tries in a season by a Waratah.
While both Folau and Naiyaravoro are proven potent weapons and finishers, Newsome still expects to get his share of the ball.
"I'm confident in my game and how I've grown over the last couple of years," Newsome said.
"Playing with the likes of Taqele and Israel, powerhouses those two, I feel like I complement them well with my game, so looking forward to joining forces on the weekend."
Good at contesting the high ball, the 189cm Newsome will add anther weapon to to a Tahs' aerial arsenal which includes Folau and flanker Ned Hanigan.
"At the start of the year we had a real high-ball focus on contests, which is something I enjoy doing on the wing, so it might be something we look to do this weekend as well," Newsome said.
