Proving that country girls can aim high will be a powerful motivation for Taleah Ackland when she returns home to Toowoomba for Saturday’s Next Gen 7s.
Round Two pits the Queensland Reds against the NSW Waratahs in four fast-paced clashes at Toowoomba Sports Ground where locals will also play in an U14s and U16s Teen Girls Club Series.
An open skills development session for players and coaches late on Friday at the same venue is another layer to activate the fun and ambition within players eager to advance in sevens.
For Ackland, the step up into the Next Gen 7s is exactly where the 19-year-old wants to be after getting her first taste of rugby sevens at Toowoomba’s Fairholme College.
She earned ample game time in last weekend’s four Round One matches in Sydney but is open about how much it means to be playing in Toowoomba.
“Representing Queensland in this Next Gen 7s series is lots of fun and being able to play at home in Toowoomba is exciting,” Ackland said.
“I can’t wait. I know family and friends will be there.
“Showing that a Toowoomba girl can go far is an important thing. I was one of the young girls playing in the Rising Stars team when the Queensland Sevens team played in Toowoomba last year.”
The young teacher aide knows the pedigree of players from Toowoomba and further afield. At 15, she was coached by Roma’s 2016 Rio Olympics gold medallist Emilee Cherry.
Dom Du Toit and Demi Hayes are just two Darling Downs products who have progressed to playing at the Olympics and winning Commonwealth Games gold medals.
Zoe Waters, a Faith Lutheran College alumni, is another Darling Downs youngster in the Queensland sevens squad.
Ackland played at five-eighth in 15-a-side rugby for the Toowoomba Bears earlier this season. Sevens places different demands and she swings between hooker and other positions where her skills with the ball are valuable.
As an example, she burst through on a switch play in the set-up of a classy try last weekend for finisher Gase Tupuola-Palale. On another occasion, she seized on a key pilfer.
The opening round of the Next Gen 7s lived up to its billing as a showcase for the emerging talent in sevens.
Queensland and NSW split the results 2-all and you’d be backing equally competitive games in Toowoomba from the 9:30am kick-off (Qld time).
From close range, Ackland understands the skill of her teammates.
“Amahli Hala is only young as well but she is an amazing player with her speed, footwork and skills. Carys Dallinger has played for the Wallaroos and made a real impact in sevens for us,” Ackland said.
QUEENSLAND REDS 7s (v NSW Waratahs)
Round Two Next Gen 7s - Toowoomba Sports Ground (from 9:30am Sat)
Sophie Duff
Rhani Hagan
Amahli Hala
Fleur Ginn
Madison Pomerenke
Caitlin Urwin
Carys Dallinger
Faythe Manera
Taleah Ackland
Tahlia Evans
Ava Wereta
Fa’agase Tupuola-Palale
13th player – Zoe Waters
