Charlotte Caslick named best player in women's sevens

Australian gold medalist Charlotte Caslick has been named the women’s sevens player of the year by World Rugby after a stellar 2016.

The 21-year-old led the Australian sevens to a gold medal at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio after the side took home the women’s sevens World Series trophy earlier in the year.

Caslick is just the second Australian to win the award, following in the footsteps of teammate Emilee Cherry, who was the last to do so in 2014.

She was already rewarded for her superb 2016, taking home Australia’s top women’s sevens award, the Shawn Mackay award, earlier in the year.

Caslick was instrumental in the 2016 Rio campaign for the Australian women’s side, scoring seven tries throughout the tournament including the final five-pointer against New Zealand in the gold medal game.

The side’s head coach, Tim Walsh, congratulated his star player on the award, highlighting her growth and maturity since her debut.

“From the age of 17 to now 21, Charlotte has matured into the world’s best player.

“She is responsible for branding women’s sevens rugby with a flair, strength and a feminine touch.

“A ruthless competitor with a relentless work ethic and possessing a mental toughness that only comes from being the best, Charlotte has consistently performed at a world class level for over three years.”

Caslick was nominated for the award twice before and had to overcome standout international players to finally take home to award.

She tipped out New Zealand’s 2015 winner Portia Woodman, who was the top try-scorer in the world series last year, as well as England’s Emily Scarratt.

Caslick has scored 38 tries in her 16 Australian Sevens caps and will be looking to finish 2016 on a positive note when Australia’s World Series title defence begins with the Dubai Sevens, which kicks off on December 1.