Michael Cheika is vowing to do all in his power to get him back from Japan, but Sean McMahon is making no promises about his Test future after a barnstorming display for the Wallabies.
No.8 McMahon was one of Australia's best in the heartbreaking 35-29 defeat by New Zealand in Dunedin on Saturday, leading the team with 13 carries, making 11 tackles and providing a constant source of energy.
But the 23-year-old will not be at Cheika's disposal for much longer.
McMahon has signed a two-year deal with a Japanese club and so will be ineligible to play at the 2019 World Cup under Australia's current selection guidelines.
Cheika said after the match he would be "aiming all guns" to try to get McMahon back on an early release.
"I don't care what it takes to make him stay here because we want him. We need him," Cheika said.
"Maybe sometimes it's nice to say publicly how badly we want a player to stay here, because we love him and we want him to keep playing like that in the gold jersey."
McMahon was flattered to hear those comments but said they will not sway his decision - one he made because of limited Wallabies back-row opportunities, with captain Michael Hooper owning the No.7 jersey and David Pocock due back from his sabbatical next year.
"You've got to focus on game to game and right now, I'm focusing on the next game and getting another opportunity," McMahon said.
"Down the track, if the opportunity comes back for me to come back, that might happen, but right now I'm focusing on the next game over in Perth."
McMahon told AAP during the week there was "something special" brewing in the current crop of Wallabies and he reckoned their performance at Forsyth Barr Stadium backed that up.
"There's a different feeling around the squad at the moment than there has been in previous years that I've been part of it," he said.
"It's kind of disappointing, it's one less game (I get to play with them).
"But I'm going to keep taking every one with both hands.
"I think we showed a lot of grit, a lot of passion."
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