When you speak to the Women's Sevens side, there's one word that consistently comes up when talking about their success: sisterhood.
It's a special bond that Tim Walsh and the squad are hoping can take them to further success after their World Series heroics.
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After a disappointing Tokyo campaign, the program was left struggling was answers after their shock quarter-final exit and fifth place position.
This led to Rugby Australia conducting a review into both sides, which saw Tim Walsh return to the helm, swapping roles with John Manenti after taking the men's side to sixth in Tokyo.
This combined with a gruelling pre-season helped build the foundations for what would come, sweeping the first three World Series events before closing out the title with a thriller against New Zealand.
Australia entered the 2020 Olympics as the team to beat following their Rio heroics.
The balance of power had shifted slightly towards the Kiwis since 2016, claiming three of four World Series as well as the Commonwealth Games/Rugby Sevens World Cup double in 2018.
However, it was expected the side under John Manenti would be in contention despite COVID causing havoc to their preparation.
With expectations high, the team cruised through China and Japan with little trouble before being out-muscled against the USA, with two late tries seeing the Americans take the upset victory.
This was familiar territory for the squad, drawing to the USA in Rio before blitzing the knockout stages to claim gold.
However, the pressure of defending the title showed in the quarter-finals as Fiji stunned Australia with two quick tries to eliminate them from contention.
With the program struggling for answers, Manenti and incoming coach Tim Walsh sought to build the bond between the squad that had weakened as a result of Tokyo.
“I think it was partially the pressure and the majority of the girls not doing well pre-Olympics,” Maidson Ashby believes helped create the disconnect.
“The girls coming out of the program with the new ones coming in, I think there was that disconnection with old and young which now we don’t even try and say old and young, we’re just one team and it’s something we’ve worked hard to break that curse word."
“I didn’t expect (the disconnect) either and it was a bit daunting for a period of time,” Walsh admitted when he returned.
“Once you sit down and analyse it and look at it to know what your environment is, you own it and it’s basically what happened in a short period of time. You dig your heels in and work out the best plan of approach and who going to help you get there and go for it."
A gruelling pre-season led by former Waratah and Head of Athletic Performance Tom Carter went a long way towards solidifying their connection as they prepared to reclaim their spot on top of the World Series.
Coupled with a further focus on off-field connection and the team were back to their relentless best.
“I feel like pre-Tokyo, we just didn’t have that bond, that sisterhood bond,” Faith Nathan suggests, one of four to make the Dream Team after the 2021-22 Series.
“(Tim) Walshy has worked really hard on everyone getting that bond, hanging out with each other and bonding as a team and I feel like that’s helped us a lot to be where we were.
“I felt like we weren’t working as a team in the Olympics and felt like it made everyone work for one another after that and we worked hard for the first eight weeks after the Olympics.
“We were working together, crying together, happy together. We all felt the same pain as each other and I feel like it brought us closer because I want to help out my friend and she’s going to help me out and that was the vibe.”
The departure of Shannon Parry to the 15-a-side game saw a change in leadership with Demi Hayes appointed captain.
Hayes was shortly joined by Charlotte Caslick, with Ashby and Sharni Williams added to the leadership team, proud of the way the group came together.
“I think we changed in the way that we had our standards live through the way we want to play," Hayes said.
“When we’re out on the field, everyone wants to work hard for each other, bleeding, crying, whatever it takes together. There’s not one or two people that aren’t so we’re really building that post-Tokyo as a group.
“We’re really living by that so that’s what is driving us together."
This was evident as soon as they returned to the World Series, blitzing the competition in the first two events in Dubai.
Any critics who put that down to New Zealand's absence were quickly shut down after the performance in Langford, with a last-minute Lily Dick try securing the win and the World Series
With the program undergoing a revamp, it allowed for several players to step up and establish themselves on the World Series.
The Levi sisters were the leading examples of this as Madison took out Rookie of the Year honours, closely followed by sister Teagan.
The pair had both signed contracts in the past with AFLW club Gold Coast Suns before opting to make the move south to Sydney.
They have a natural connection together but the welcoming nature of the new-look group helped form similar connections across the group to take their play to another level.
“They’re all experienced and helping to guide us around the field so to have their guidance and support, it is a sisterhood and that’s why we’re playing so well because we play for each other," Maddison Levi said.
“We’re not stepping on the field and you’re an individual trying to create something out of nothing, we’re so tight and bonded and if we can carry that culture and play fun footy, we can be successful.”
Newly-appointed captain Charlotte Caslick has been a major factor in their growth according to Teagan.
Caslick and the sisters have had similar journeys; young, exciting, Queensland-bred talent with a passion and potential to play multiple codes before settling on the Sevens format.
This bond with Caslick as well as fellow next-gen players Jesse Southwell, Nathan and Ashby was crucial in settling the pair and allowing them to play their best Rugby.
“Having my sister (Madison) in the team helps but it’s a sisterhood and culture like no other,” Teagan Levi said.
“We all respect each other and I’m really grateful to have them moving from Gold Coast to Sydney. It hasn’t been easy but that welcoming was been really good.
“Living with Charlotte (Caslick) when we first moved here, she helped us out heaps…when I was younger I looked up to her a lot so to be in her life and see everything she does is awesome and super grateful to have her.”
With the World Series wrapped up, the focus turns to the Commonwealth Games and Rugby Sevens World Cup, the two honours to elude the champion team.
The work has continued by Walsh and the team to help take the side to the next level on and off the field.
This was established after Langford, where they took the unique break before Paris to step away from the training park and create life-long memories.
“We spent two weeks together between Canada and France and usually 12 girls together isn’t that exciting but we all love each other and love having fun together...I think it's been pretty awesome," Hayes explained.
“It’s such a close-knit sisterhood so I think that definitely makes us perform better and I think off the field, we love being together and on the field...everyone wants to work hard for each other, bleeding, crying, whatever it takes together. There’s not one or two people that aren’t so we’re really building that post-Tokyo as a group.
“We’re really living by that so that’s what is driving us together.”
Culture is a big thing for Walsh, clear to see in his coaching style, hosting events off the field involving the team and their families to help strengthen this.
With the World Series title already locked away, he knows the importance of continuing to develop and refine it to ensure they are in the best place possible.
“It’s a contact sport where you have to put your body on the line and if you down have that fight for each other attitude, it’s not going to work,” Walsh believes.
“Within my coaching style, it’s very important and if you look around teams in history, it’s exactly the same. Once you get that trust and love for each other with the right athletes and people, you become pretty unstoppable.
“I’ll put as much effort into building culture that’s reflective of the environment we participate in and fits the group of players we have and that can take time…when you’ve been coaching and playing for so long, the Rugby becomes the easy bit, it becomes managing the people, culture and stakeholders.
“We want to make sure everyone is in the right head space psychological to perform.”
The growth is recognised by the players, proud of the journey so far whilst knowing it's only at the beginning.
“The team has gelled so well over the past series," Ashby believes.
"Honestly, I’m speechless with how proud of all of us…you’ve got to go through a low to come out on a high.”
"It’s such a close-knit sisterhood so I think that definitely makes us perform better and I think off the field, we love being together and on the field we work so hard for each other," Hayes added.
