Wallaroos coach Jo Yapp has a welcome headache despite Friday's 45-7 loss to Canada following Charlotte Caslick's star turn at inside centre.
The Sevens veteran had been steadily improving across the back three all season until a surprise midfield shift in Brisbane yielded instant results.
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After a shaky start marking up against Canadian skipper Alex Tessier, Caslick exploded to life with 10 tackle busts and a line break to go with a breakdown steal and her second half try-saver on Krissy Scurfield.
"I thought she had a really big impact on the game. Charlotte's a different type of 12 and she was obviously taking defenders on and being more of a playmaker there - it was exciting to see her on the ball more," Yapp told reporters.
"Charlotte’s got better and better with each game. She’s had more and more ball with each game and we’re starting to see what she can do.
"12’s definitely something we can look at moving forward for her and it gives us that different type of player at 12 depending on the games we’ve got coming up."
Yapp also paid tribute to skipper Pesi Palu (10 carries, seven tackles, two turnovers) who fought tirelessly after the Canadians shot out to a 21-0 lead in as many minutes but said the Wallaroos would learn from their 38-point defeat.
Set piece struggles plagued Australia with Canada forcing eight line-out errors and three lost scrums while the North Americans' ruck speed and ability to find space wreaked havoc out wide.
"It was a really good opportunity for us to look at players and we’ve learned an awful lot from that game. Credit to Canada, they're (world) number two for a reason and we gave them too many opportunities and they took those opportunities," Yapp said.
"Pesi led by example, she’s had an excellent tournament ... This whole block has been an important learning block for us and tonight was no different."
Palu lamented her side's "slow start" but said the Wallaroos would continue to build ahead of their July 12 clash with New Zealand in Wellington
"You (could) see their edges are quite dangerous, we just need to make sure we stop the ball from getting out there," Palu said of world number two Canada.
"I'm frustrated in some parts of the game, the parts where we can control. We know this block is all about growth .. we’re just trying to find different connections.
"We need to make sure we’re more strategic with our comms, just turning to our game drivers. My job is to make sure I play my best game. I like to lead by example and I trust my game drivers to step up and make those calls."
Meanwhile Canada now face a nervous wait for Saturday's Black Ferns-USA clash in Auckland. New Zealand need to defeat the Eagles by 25 points or more - and secure a bonus point - to leapfrog the Canadians into first place and clinch the Pacific Four Series.
