Queensland Reds young gun Madi Pomerenke is delighted with the early season time slot for the Next Gen 7s and the regular rugby it is providing for the country's best sevens prospects.
The three-leg series has produced a string of competitive matches to practice skills under pressure for the Reds, NSW Waratahs and ACT Brumbies.
Having to travel to Lennox Head, Sydney and Canberra has also forced youngsters to own their readiness in different environments or miss the jump in matches.
Pomerenke scored two second half tries as an influential figure in the Reds' 31-14 success over the Brumbies to finish last Sunday in style at the Next Gen 7s in Canberra.
A golden chance was missed to upset the Waratahs in a tight 17-14 loss while conceding two tries during a yellow card period was part of a sleepy start in the first-up 17-12 loss to the Brumbies.
The Reds girls finished the early rounds with five wins and five losses from their 10 matches and now take aim at the finals series in Sydney on April 12.
As defending champions, the Reds know the whole mood of a season can be defined by nailing key moments in the biggest games as they did at Ballymore last year.
Just six months since she finished Year 12 at Wynnum High, Pomerenke is lapping up the extra time she can devote to rugby. She is also coaching an Under-13s side at the Wynnum Bugs where she enjoys telling young girls of the pathways that now exist in the game.
"It's been a big change. I've been able to focus more on footy and I felt the difference the gym has made in those last two tries," Pomerenke said.
"It's little things like the extra leg drive it has helped with and keeping strong through contact."
Pomerenke is being modest. Her ability to stay on her feet and drive through contact has always been a strength for the Gympie product.
Even though she is just 18, she is one of the more experienced players in the team in her third season of Next Gen 7s.
"It does feel a bit weird being in that situation. We do have a young team so it has been great playing with and against girls from the national sevens squad," Pomerenke said.
"For us, being able to play alongside Rhani (Hagan) has been really good. Someone like Caitlin (Urwin) is really experienced and she's made a difference all through the tournament."
Advancing newer players is paying off. In the final game against the Brumbies in Canberra, Reese Orcher produced some of her best moments of the series.
She seized a restart, made a strong run and put Urwin away on a 50m run to the tryline. Shortly after, she was making a good tackle and had her hands in on the Brumbies' ball to force a turnover penalty.
The value of a big play was evident earlier in the match. A big tackle by Leilani Hills forced a dropped ball. In a twinkling, debutant Grace Buchanan produced some excellent lead-up work down the right touchline that set up Pomerenke for a strong, fending run to the tryline.
