Corey Toole is set to make his Olympic Games debut in a return to the Australian sevens team to bolster their push for gold in Paris.
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The ACT Brumbies flyer and NRL-bound Mark Nawaqanitawase are the Super Rugby stars to join John Manenti's men's squad for the Games.
Women's star Sharni Smale is set to become a three-time Olympian as one of two lone survivors - alongside Charlotte Caslick - of the squad that made history in Rio eight years ago.
Toole's return to the sevens arena comes after he made a name for himself on the world series circuit during a breakout 2021-22 campaign.
He has since joined the Brumbies and emerged as one of Super Rugby's greatest excitement machines.
His form in the 15-a-side game has opened the door for Toole to join Joe Schmidt's Wallabies squad following the Olympic tournament.
"The group has over 330 world series tournaments of experience, five previous Olympians and seven debutants," Manenti said.
![Corey Toole is heading to the Olympic Games. Picture by Gary Ramage Corey Toole is heading to the Olympic Games. Picture by Gary Ramage](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/36vwtM5n3dmMVgNPycRBEHz/bd96ecd8-60c1-4911-afaa-8dcb794cf926.jpg/r0_303_5927_3648_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"We welcome Corey Toole and Mark Nawaqanitawase back to the squad, both of whom have had seamless transitions and add an X-factor to our well-established combinations.
"We had a really good two weeks in Fiji and Darwin recently and that along with our solid season has the team really well prepared for Paris."
Toole's inclusion is a massive boost to Australia's hopes of claiming gold in the men's tournament, with the women's side expected to be there at the business end despite a mounting injury tolls.
Teagan Levi, Bridget Clark, Isabella Nasser, Kaitlin Shave and Bienne Terita are set to play at the Olympics for the first time.
"I'm really excited to be heading to a third Olympics and cannot wait to play alongside these girls," Caslick said.
"We've worked really hard to get to this point where we are chasing a gold medal.
"I've loved every moment of being able to lead these players and we're in a good place to play well.
"Paris is an incredible city that will bring the best out of our players. We can't wait to get over there."
BRUMBIES LAND REBELS STAR
The ACT Brumbies have made their first move in the off-season player market, swooping on a versatile Melbourne Rebels forward to bolster their roster for next year.
Tuaina Taii Tualima has signed a two-year deal to move to the Brumbies in the wake of the demise of the Rebels.
![Tuaina Taii Tualima has signed a two-year deal with the Brumbies. Picture Getty Images Tuaina Taii Tualima has signed a two-year deal with the Brumbies. Picture Getty Images](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/j2iwCiKfwhVWJky39Vsdpt/91b51ea8-b949-4049-bbca-87663bf68bc0.jpg/r0_267_4149_2600_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The Brumbies and Tualima had been in negotiations for several months as Rebels players started to contemplate a future without a team in Melbourne.
The remaining four Australian clubs are looking at which players they can add to their squads, with NSW and Queensland expected to get the bulk of the stars from the Rebels.
Rugby Australia is working with the players to finalise their preferred destination, but it's understood the deal with Tualima was done before the Rebels were officially axed from the competition last month.
"I'm thrilled to join the Brumbies, it is a club which has a proud rugby history," Tualima said.
"The club has produced so many high calibre players, so I'm pretty excited to connect with the staff and playing group and further my knowledge and skillset."
Tualima can play lock or flanker, fitting a similar role to the one played by Wallaby Tom Hooper. Tualima's arrival will help cover the loss of Darcy Swain, who is moving to Perth to join the Western Force.
Tualima has played 34 games since making his Super Rugby debut with the Queensland Reds before moving to Melbourne.
"He is a seasoned professional who has spent several seasons in Super Rugby and I'm very happy to have someone of his experience join our playing ranks," said Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham.