Perth Sevens: Five new Aussie 7s players to watch
The Perth Sevens kicks off on Friday afternoon and Australia has named two strong squads for the third event of the 2024/25 season featuring a number of talented young players.
Both squads have transformed following the end of the Olympic cycle last year, which has opened the door for the next generation to chase their dream.
Here are a few to keep an eye on:
Hadley Tonga
Tonga was a schoolboy star at Kings and clocked an 10.84 for the 100 metres in year 11. He was signed by Rugby Australia while still at school but has suffered a horror run with injuries over the past 18 months.
Finally fit and healthy, Tonga looks leaner and probably faster than he did at school and is one to keep an eye on in the year’s ahead across both Sevens and XVs.
Syd Harvey
The standout player in last year’s Shute Shield colts competition, Harvey has signed a joint deal with the Waratahs and Aussie 7s and will split his time between those two programs and the Juniors Wallabies this year.
The Narrabri boy played his way into the Australian Schoolboys side through the CHS system and tore teams apart in his underage colts season at Easts.
Kiiahla Duff
Northern Beaches product Kiiahla Duff moved up to Queensland to chase her Aussie 7s dream and fulfilled it late last year, playing in both Dubai and Cape Town.
The 21-year old has speed to burn and could form the nucleus of the Aussie 7s future Olympic teams.
Jayden Blake
Another country boy, Dubbo’s Jayden Blake played his way up the grades at Randwick in recent years and at 22, still has incredible upside.
A tall, athletic outside back who rarely makes a mistake in attack or defence, there’s lot’s to like about Blake in both formats of the game.
Kahli Henwood
Queenslander Kahli Henwood was an Olympian before she even played a match on the World Series.
Henwood has been in and around the Aussie 7s squad for a number of years but had never cracked the World Series squad.
She travelled to Paris as a fresh reserve, then was called up to play on the biggest stage in sport following an injury. Henwood was signed to a full time contract after that and finally made her World Series debut as a 25-year old late last year.