Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham

He has played just five games in two seasons, but the ACT Brumbies are keen to start negotiations with injured Wallabies captain David Pocock to keep him in Canberra beyond next year’s World Cup.

The Brumbies are already planning for the future just days after being bundled out of Super Rugby title contention by the Waratahs.

Coach Stephen Larkham revealed his intent to start negotiations with Pocock, Stephen Moore, Ben Alexander and Pat McCabe, whose contracts expire at the end of next season.

Larkham also hopes to have his back-room staff finalised in the next month, including appointing another assistant coach with breakdown expertise to replace director of rugby Laurie Fisher and a team manager.

Wallabies Pocock, Moore, Alexander and McCabe are all off-contract at the end of the 2015 campaign and all will be captaincy candidates next season to replace Ben Mowen.

Pocock has suffered back-to-back season-ending knee injuries since moving to Canberra on a three-year deal, limiting him to just five Super Rugby games with the Brumbies.

Knee injuries: David Pocock may have had limited time on the field this season, but the Brumbies want to keep him on their books.

“Poey has been very unlucky, but I think he enjoys Canberra and this group of players,” Larkham said. “Certainly I think he will be hungry … psychologically it’s tough to come back but keeping him as fresh as possible is the key so that he’s itching to go when he comes back.

“It’s up to the players whether they want to start negotiations. We can start, but if they don’t want to then nothing happens.” It is understood hooker Joshua Mann-Rea and flanker Jordan Smiler are on the verge of signing new deals to stay with the Brumbies.

There are still a handful of contracts up for grabs in the squad for next year, with Larkham casting his eye over the newly formed National Rugby Championship for a winger, inside back, a prop and a lock.

There is a fear of an exodus of Australia’s top players to cashed-up European teams after the World Cup in Britain next year. Moore admitted he was contemplating a move abroad at the end of next year, but the knee injury that kept him out of the Brumbies’ finals charge could also convince him to extend his Australian career.

The Brumbies re-signed a raft of Wallabies representatives this year, with Matt Toomua re-committing for three years and Christian Lealiifano, Nic White, Henry Speight, Joseph Tomane, Scott Fardy and Jesse Mogg all turning down deals from overseas to stay in Canberra.

“We don’t want to fall into the same trap that we found ourselves in this year where we had a large chunk of our squad off contract at the same time,” Larkham said. “We want to make sure the core group of players have their contracts locked up well before the season starts. The nature of guys like [Moore, Pocock and Alexander] is that they want to stay around, they enjoy playing for the Brumbies and for the Wallabies. They could probably earn double the money overseas, but the character they have is that they are passionate about playing here.”

Mann-Rea courageously stepped up to fill the massive hole left by Moore in the Brumbies’ finals campaign. The 33-year-old played on with a hamstring injury as the only fit hooker on the Brumbies’ roster and he is set to be rewarded with a deal to extend his career.

Larkham is preparing for massive change at Brumbies headquarters, with Fisher leaving to join Gloucester, Mowen moving his career to France and players including Leon Power, Lionel Cronje, Conrad Hoffmann, Tom McVerry and Ruaidhri Murphy moving on.