Within Chinese culture, eight is considered to be the luckiest of numbers. For the Australian Sevens side, the number takes on so much more meaning.
After a disappointing run of form at major events, the program came under heavy criticism and expectation internally and externally.
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The side entered the Tokyo Olympics with medal aspirations under Tim Walsh, however, managed just two wins from six as they crashed out of the quarter-finals to finish seventh.
Whilst this was one step ahead of 2016, it reflected their lack of recent success at major events, fifth at the 2018 Commonwealth Games followed by 10th at the Rugby World Cup Sevens later in the year.
An ‘alcohol-fuelled’ incident after the Tokyo Games heightened the pressure, leading to a vast decline in their numbers after a review of the programs.
The Women’s side was largely unaffected, able to retain 16 full-time players as the likes of Jesse Southwell have also found themselves added to the squad.
The Men? Just eight core members. Only just enough to fill a team with one sub.
Dual Olympians Nick Malouf and Henry Hutchison as well as vice-captain Maurice Longbottom were the key full-time members returning from past World Series campaigns, with Josh Turner, Henry Paterson, Dietrich Roache and Nathan Lawson retained from the Olympics.
Waratahs young gun Darby Lancaster rounded out the initial squad as he split time between the two, reflecting the push to partner with the Super Rugby clubs to fill the rest of the squad ahead of the World Series.
This was a line in the sand moment for Hutchison, knowing the only way to revert it was to start winning.
“It is what it is. We can sit around kick stones but that’s going to get us nowhere,” Hutchison reflected.
“We started the season and drew a line in the sand and said ‘this is the reality, you haven’t been winning’ so the only way to change that is to start performing.
“We had to get over it and that’s been the approach of the team. It’s working for now, Sevens is a volatile game so we have to get on top of ourselves and keep working and not get ahead of ourselves because they’re so many good teams on the circuit and we have to be at our best every time we’re on the field.”
Hutchison, Manenti and the rest of the leaders knew they had to create an environment where players could come and go and impress.
“We have 6-7 full time contracted players and 6-7 now on part-time deals so it’s really important the main contract guys are big on standards and being really supportive around teaching these guys,” Manenti believes.
“We’ve had guys come in for one leg or tournament and we need to teach them everything in a week. They’re then gone and we don’t see them again and then another guy comes in next tournament and that’s the nature of what we have and we know that.
“The model at the moment is we’re trying to lock down that spine of seven core players that can build their experience and caps up so we have that constant group in here but then we top them up with talent whether they are from Super, young boys on the fringe or pulled from wherever. It’s our job as players to get them up to speed as quickly as possible,” Hutchison added.
“If we can do that, they’re going to play better and the snowball effect comes from that. It’s a massive role for Moosey (Nick Malouf), Moz (Maurice Longbottom) and myself is to teach the less experienced guys and let them let loose.
The part-time deals led to a number of younger, fringe Super Rugby get the chance to shine, no one more than Corey Toole.
The Gungahlin flyer was one of eight World Series debutants selected for Dubai, joined by former Rebel Billy Meakes.
With New Zealand off the tour and Fiji struggling, the Australians took the opportunity to shine over the first two rounds, finishing fifth before making the final against South Africa.
The decision to swap coaches proved crucial as well, with the returning Manenti digging deep into his Shute Shield black book to recruit further players such as Matt Gonzalez, Michael Icely and Ben Marr out of ‘pure necessity’.
“It’s been (NSW-based) largely because of cost-wise, it doesn’t cost us anything to bring someone in from Sydney, we don’t have the funding to accomodate and fly people from Queensland or WA for a week or two for training,” he explained.
“Ultimately, if someone is good enough they’ll get here either way. In the meantime, my knowledge of Shute Shield is very good because I’m at it every week and I know the players so they have a better chance of getting exposure.
“I’m still looking at Hospital Cup, John I Dent Cup and those people getting recommended to us. We look at everyone but it’s an expense exercise and we can’t get it in.”
Further podium finishes in Seville, Singapore and Vancouver continued to build confidence within the young group, eventually leading to Toole, the red-hot favourite for Player of the Year, added to the full-time squad.
With the program on a roll, a trip to London proved the perfect recipe for success following their worse finish of the year in Toulouse - the eighth stop on the tour
An early defeat to New Zealand failed to slow their momentum as they stunned South Africa with a late double to Henry Paterson.
Paterson then turned hero in the final, scoring a hat-trick and producing a brilliant try-saver to help Australia to victoryover New Zealand and their first title in three years.
“Getting that win in London, even though I wasn’t playing, I’ve never been so proud of the team, individuals, coaching staff and myself,” Hutchison noted in June, absent after injuring his hand in the lead up.
“It was good to see boys getting the result they deserved. A few boys really stood up and I’m looking forward to seeing them playing well in Oceania this week.”
The rapid rise has the program entering the Commonwealth Games as a real gold medal threat and striking distance of an inaugural World Series title.
It has also shifted the thought process around the program.
No longer receiving the off-cuts, the squad have become a destination for some of the most exciting talent in the country.
Samu Kerevi, who had featured at the Tokyo Olympics, turned down a trip to Argentina with the Wallabies to join their Comm Games quest, joined by recent Wallaby call-up Mark Nawaqanitwase.
The program went from undesirable to undeniable.
“We’re becoming a team that people want to play for,” Manenti suggests.
“Instead of us tapping players on the shoulder and saying ‘hey do you mind coming?’, people are calling us and asking how to get in or why we aren’t being looked up here in Queensland, can we have someone look at us in Perth, that’s where we want to be.”
With a crucial period coming up, Manenti understands to further this claim and ultimately return the program to where it was, continual success is a must.
“We’ve had good support from the Super clubs giving us players and that happens with Mark (Nawaqanitwase) now again,” he added.
“It’s important we develop that core squad into strong leaders and as we keep being successful and putting our name on the map, we know our resources will increase and we can turn six into ten full-time contracts and hopefully keep growing the group and being more self-sufficient.”
