For close to a decade, Charlotte Caslick was the ‘Empress’ of the Sevens World Series.
Now, the playmaker is embracing the chance to start from scratch in the Wallaroos program as she prepares for a Test debut.
Catch the Wallaroos take on Fijiana on Saturday live and on-demand via Stan Sport.
Caslick will come off the bench for the Wallaroos against Fijiana after committing to the 15-a-side game ahead of the Rugby World Cup.
The 30-year-old showed her class almost instantly for the Queensland Reds, helping them reach the Grand Final.
In the process, Caslick has soaked up every session and moment to learn, becoming a better Rugby player.
“It has obviously been a while since being a rookie in the team. But I'm really enjoying it and I feel like I'm learning a lot every single session,” she told reporters from Suva.
“All of the coaching staff have been amazing in the sense that I think every single one of them, from the backs coaches to the forwards coaches, have taken the time to sit down with me and go through footage and help me get comfortable.
“I think coming from a position where I felt like I was always at home when I played sevens and now I'm a bit out of my comfort zone, I feel like everyone here is doing the best they can to prepare me and help me get as much as I can comfortable with my role.”
With the change comes a shift in environment for Caslick, no longer the experienced veteran with a host of players in their early 20s.
“At Sevens, I was a lot older than a lot of the girls and the girls here are probably more on my page in terms of my age and life experience,” she notes.
“It's been great to just bounce ideas around footy but also general life around them and create new connections.
“I feel like I've made another group of friends at the Reds and then again here.”
Caslick admits the decision to trade the familiarity of the Sevens World Series and a World Championship bid for a World Cup shot was ‘daunting.’
But the two-time World Rugby Sevens Player of the Year wouldn’t have it any other way.
“I am really proud of myself. I think being 30 years old and putting yourself in a new environment and out of your comfort zone is always challenging, and the way that I've gone about it was a little bit different to the other Sevens girls and did a lot of it on my own,” she said.
“It's been a little bit daunting at times, but I've been so well welcomed into the groups that I've joined that I really haven't felt out of place at all, which has been a credit to both the programs so far.
“Getting to debut when you're 18 (for Sevens), you probably don't appreciate the moment as much as you do when you're 30, so it's definitely up there with one of my career highlights.
“…Moving forward, I still love Sevens so much and I will definitely still be going back to that program, but I would love to be able to do both as much as possible and where it works in terms of schedules and timelines.”
