When it comes to sevens rugby there aren't too many bigger names than Charlotte Caslick.
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And at Narrabri on Friday and Saturday, the Australian superstar showed off some of the skills that have seen her twice crowned the women's World Sevens Player of the Year.
With Caslick, and fellow Aussie squad members Teagan Levi and Lily Dick pulling the strings, Queensland were unbeatable in the second round of the AON Next Gen Series, which was played as part of the Santos Festival of Rugby.
In between World Series tournaments, Caslick said it was great to come back into the "pathways/development system" and play alongside the game's emerging stars.
"And it's always great to pull on a Queensland jersey," she added.
Being played over five rounds, the Next Gen series has in previous incarnations unearthed the likes of Levi, Sariah Paki, Dick, Faith Nathan and Madison Ashby, and has, Caslick believes, an important role to play as a stepping stone into the national set-up.
"We've recently had Faythe Manera and Bella Nasser, who have graduated from their state teams and come into our program at the Aussie level," she said.
"I think them having the experience they get from playing this before they come and train and play with us has been really important for them."
One of the star attractions over the two days, she acknowledged the importance of events like the festival in engaging the fans and driving interest in the sport.
"I think Rugby Australia need to do as much as they can to keep connecting with the communities out west and attracting fans and attracting kids to play the sport," Caslick said.
"And I think the best way to do that is actually being here and being able to see you live."
"For the young girls out here as well, there's so many of us that have come through pathways that aren't just from the city, so hopefully they see that there's girls that are just like them that are playing on the national stage now and then internationally."
The Rio gold medallist recently re-signed with the sevens program through until the end of 2026 and is excited about what the next four years could bring.
"In the next four years and then 10 years in Australia there's so much happening in rugby with world cups and Commonwealth Games, Olympic Games so I think it's a really special time for rugby in Australia," Caslick said.
