Coach John Manenti is finding every game he watches, he’s confronted by another candidate staking their claim for Olympic selection in the Australian women’s sevens team.
There was another prime example on day one of the New Zealand leg of the world series on Saturday, when Cassie Staples unveiled some of her finest work in the 40-12 demolition of Russia.
The former netballer bagged two quality tries, one spectacular score stemming from a brutal fend and turn of pace, which suggests she’ll be in the hunt when the final 12 are unveiled for the gold medal defence in Tokyo in July.
Staples played down her performance but Manenti admits it turned his head and only added to the conundrum he’ll soon be facing.
“I want players giving me a hard time,” he told AAP.
“Cassie’s starting to show the benefits of regular football. That first half today from her was one of her stronger halves she’s had. And she always does a lot of unsighted stuff.”
Staples has been in and out of the squad since scoring five tries in her debut tournament in Canada in 2017.
Six months before that, she made made her first steps in the sport after showcasing her athletic wares when sevens bosses conducted a social media recruitment drive.
She’s trying to put Tokyo selection out of her mind, for now.
“We’ve got a really strong squad of girls this year. There’s 12 spots but I’m just putting my head down and working my arse off trying to make sure that I remain in contention.
“At the moment, everyone’s got a chance. You’ve just got to perform.”
Proven trio Charlotte Caslick, Shannon Parry and Evania Pelite are among a number of strong candidates not in Hamilton but likely to return during the last four legs of the world series.
“We’ve got girls who are home and injured that we’re looking forward to bringing back but we’ve also got young girls that have performed over the last couple of legs and wanting more time,” Manenti said.
“Someone like Cassie knows every time she wears the jersey it’s really important to put your best foot forward.”
