A shoulder operation forced the Wollongong star to miss the inaugural Uni 7s Series season, but Tonegato is excited about the prospect of returning to the field at the Central Coast Sevens tournament.

“I’m a little bit nervous, but I’m really excited to get back onto the playing field and Central Coast will be a great place to get some game time.”

While disappointed to miss the inaugural season, Tonegato was full of praise for the Uni 7s Series.

“Walshy [Australian coach Tim Walsh] has found a lot of talent throughout that series and it will get bigger and better throughout the years to come.” Tonegato said.

The series featured eight university-based teams from across the country playing in four sevens tournaments throughout August and September. It was won by University of Queensland, who claimed all four rounds.

In a testament to the strength of the series, Kate Harrison and Paige McGregor have been selected for this weekend’s Central Coast Sevens tournament on the back of their strong performances.

The Australians are sending a strong side to the tournament, with Rio stars Charlotte Casslick and Sharni Williams also suiting up. Captain Shannon Perry will join Tonegato in making her return from an elbow injury.

With $20,000 on offer for the winner, the event will feature strong teams from New Zealand, Fiji, Canada and the USA. 

This weekend’s competition is the latest step in the team’s quest to claim the first ever women’s sevens  Commonwealth Games gold medal next April.

“We’re building for Dubai next month, but we want to go well at the Sydney Sevens and use that as a showpiece for the women’s game. Then moving on to the Commonwealth Games, obviously we want that gold medal so that’s what we’ll be chasing.”

Tonegato admitted that the Australians have been forced to adjust their playing style after finishing second in last year’s World Series.

“We’ve had to do a lot of rethinking, we went back to drawing board and reassessed our tactics and our technique in a few different areas. We changed a few things and hopefully we will be back on top this World Series.” 

Following the success of Rio, Tonegato has noticed a significant increase in interest for her sport in the Illawarra.

She hopes to use her team’s success to provide young girls in the area with opportunities to play rugby sevens.

“Occasionally I get a girl come up to me and say ‘I want to play sevens’ and ask ‘how do I play?’ That never happened before Rio. I’ve seen a lot more girls playing sevens and it’s really exciting for the future.

“I’m hoping to get some clinics going down in the Illawarra. Obviously it’s a strong rugby league city, but I think there’s definitely potential for growth.”