The Australian Men’s Sevens side are on track to book a spot at the Rio Olympics after beating a star-studded Fijian side in the final of the Central Coast Sevens tournament.

The Aussie Thunderbolts, an invitational side filled with players from Australia’s full time program, defeated Fijian side Tabadamu in the decider, with the squad now turning its attention to next month’s Olympic qualification tournament.

“There’s nothing that quite replicates the match environment. You can be as fit as anything but there’s no substitute for match fitness. Overall, it was a solid tournament for the boys with plenty of positives,” Australian coach Tim Walsh said.

18-year old debutant Henry Hutchison was named player of the tournament, with Walsh now facing the difficult task of finalising his squad for the must win tournament in Auckland.

“Everyone is stepping up, everyone is improving,” Walsh said. “It’s not going to be easy to pick a 12-man squad for Auckland but I know every member of the program – Men and Women – will be right behind those that have earned selection. It’s the type of supportive program we are.”

Australian forward Tom Cusack was full of praise for Walsh, who is currently overseeing both the Men’s and Women’s program following the departure of Geraint John in August.

“Everyone has the ability to step up to the plate within the squad and it is a real testament to Tim [Walsh] and his training methods. He’s obviously a little under the pump at the moment running both the Men’s and Women’s programs but he’s doing a great job.

“We’re grateful that we have been prepared so well by the management staff and they had us in great shape for the weekend on the Central Coast. The tournament was a perfect opportunity for everyone in the squad to put their best foot forward and I think everyone did that.”