It’s one injury step forward and another back for the Australian women’s sevens team who are running out of time to get their strongest squad on the park together before the Tokyo Olympics.
Coach John Manenti’s desire to field his strongest combination has heightened following their fourth placing at the New Zealand leg of the world series in Hamilton.
He won’t be able to do it at this week’s Sydney tournament either although he could go closer, with Charlotte Caslick (hamstring) and Shannon Parry (suspension) both in line to return.
Countering that is an ongoing foot niggle to Evania Pelite and a hip injury picked up by fellow-Rio Olympics star Emilee Cherry, whose availability this week is uncertain.
Manenti said Cherry could barely walk near the end of her first tournament in 19 months and the first since the birth of her daughter but didn’t rate her ailment as serious.
There are only four world series tournaments remaining before Tokyo and while Manenti appreciates the chance to cast his selectorial net wide this season, he’s eager to begin building Olympic combinations.
“In a perfect world we’d probably like to have our best seven or eight on the park at some point but injuries have stopped that from happening,” he told AAP.
“Hopefully we’ll get an opportunity to do it at some tournament between now and Tokyo.
“Until then, being able to adapt around injuries is part of the game.”
Among the 20 players used by Manenti in four tournaments so far, nine were part of the golden Rio campaign.
There’s no guarantee that all of them will make the cut although it is apparent Ellia Green will line up for successive Olympics following her powerhouse form in Hamilton.
Six tries over the weekend took her to 21 for the season, prompting Manenti to highlight her prowess.
The Fijian-born flyer has played all four world series tournaments in 2019-20 but isn’t guaranteed to keep doing the same.
“Going to Sydney next week, a lot of the senior girls have played big minutes and I’m quite conscious about not running them into the wall,” he said.
“We’ve got a big picture in mind of working out who’s going to be in the team for Tokyo and the only way we can fine-tune that is to continually play and develop the young girls.”