Australia Women's Sevens captain Charlotte Caslick is eyeing off a 'fairytale finish' for their retiring stars as the team enters the village.
Caslick and the squad have entered the Olympic Village after making camp in Montpellier over the past few days.
“We’ve been doing our last hard training block here so once we get into the village we’ll really freshen up and get into the fine detail when we’re there," she told reporters.
“It’s been pretty hot, around 33 degrees when we’re training which is a bit hotter than what it would be in Paris because I think those conditions help a bit and get you acclimatised quicker."
The team have been honing their skills in a series of practice skills, including facing a men's side from the region.
It's been a common strategy of Walsh's to test his champion team and continue to push them to get better over the past years.
“We train against Easts almost every week back in Australia and I think it’s just the speed of which the boys can play at in how they move and their defensive reads are faster," Caslick explained.
“We have to really make sure that when we’re doing our set piece or executing our attack that it’s really sharp and then defensively, they just make us work a lot harder.
“It’s always challenging and I think that’s part of the reason when we play on the world series that takes us to another level.”
The side is looking to send legends Sharni Smale and Dom du Toit out on a high as they depart the Sevens program.
Caslick and Smale are going to their third Olympics time and the two-time World Player of the Year reflected on their bond.
“I think Sharni’s obviously led the way for all of us, even when I started and now this new group of girls, she’s taught them so much around what it means to play for our team and the culture that we have to be a professional athlete," Caslick said.
“She’s referred to as the matriarch of the group and she’s always really led well and I’ve always been super grateful to have her still in the side.
“She captained me for the first three quarters of my career so to have her help and guide me in this phase of captaining the side has been amazing.”
Caslick knows they aren't the only team hunting for the storybook finish, with Paris 2024 representing a changing of the guard with NZ duo Portia Woodman-Wickliffe and Tyla King alongside USA hero Naya Tapper headlining the departing cast.
“We’d love to have the fairytale finish but the Kiwis also have the same thought with their long-term star players retiring in Paris," she added.
“I think Paris is going to be a pretty special game in so many ways and there’s a lot of players from all around the world that are finishing up. Hopefully, we can go out and put on a really good show for Sevens rugby.”
