The Eurobodalla Shire will be represented at next month’s Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast.
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Batemans Bay product Cassie Staples has been selected in the first ever Australian Women's Rugby Sevens side to play in Pool B of the tournament.
This is Staples’ fifth major tournament after taking up the sport last year. She has competed in the HSBC Sevens World Series in Vancouver, Clermont-Ferrand, Dubai and Sydney.
Staples is “really excited” for her opportunity, but isn’t taking her spot in the team for granted.
“I’m happy with my selection process at the moment,” she said.
“Nothing is ever concrete in sevens though, it can kind of go either way.
“I go through stages of being confident, then I might have a bad session at training, and that doubt comes into your mind.
“I’ve got a contracted position, so I was confident and positive, but nothing’s ever concrete.”
Staples only took up rugby sevens in 2016, and first represented her country last year.
She was a talented junior netballer, and was training with Justin Lang in Sydney when she made her decision to switch codes.
We’re hoping they make history just like in Rio when they won the Olympics.
- Wayne Staples
Now that she’s at the top of her sport, her next goal is clear.
“I want to be able to perform at my best on the field,” she said. “Hopefully we’ll take home a gold medal.”
Staples’ sport now takes her all over the world, but she still holds a special place for her home town.
“I try and get there as much as I can,” she said. “I duck down at Christmas, and try and come down every couple months.
“It’s not as often as I’d like to though.”
Cassie’s father Wayne said he and his wife Lily were “over the moon” about their daughter’s selection, especially considering her relative inexperience in the sport.
“We really only knew (she was a good footballer) when she told us that she wanted to play rugby when she was training up in Sydney,” he said.
“When she told us we were sort of taken aback. That’s a funny switch from netball to rugby.”
The family will now make their way to the Gold Coast to cheer on their daughter.
Cobargo’s Millie Boyle narrowly missed selection in the top squad as she works to recover from a shoulder reconstruction.
Boyle said she was hopeful to be right for fixtures later in the year. “It’s a pretty long recovery, but fingers crossed!” she said. Boyle had made a start in the Queensland Team for the Super Women’s, but was forced to withdraw before her shoulder surgery.
