Teenage sensation Ella Ryan to lead University of Canberra in University Sevens Series

She's the 18-year-old sensation who turned up early for mobility work. She's not the one with the loudest voice, but the one with the most direct voice which is keeping her teammates accountable.

You can see her standing at the back of the group explaining drills to the newcomers pushing for debuts in Rugby Australia's University Sevens Series.

When those same teammates take off their boots, jump in the car and head home, Ryan is breaking down training and film with coach Liam McGrath and his staff.

It hardly comes as a surprise. Those around the team suggest Ryan's character defies the date on her birth certificate.

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That's why McGrath wasted little time in anointing Ryan captain of Canberra's squad for the revamped national tournament.

"Basically from day one she was doing that without us having to ask her," McGrath said.

"That exposure with the senior national team and the junior national team has shown her what it means to be a professional.

"For her, as someone who has aspirations for that Aussie jumper, this is the next step in her professional development, to lead a team.

"She carries herself like someone who has been at the top level for 10 years. That's a real testament to her character and the work she does on her own.

"She has come back fitter, stronger, faster than she did in 2019, and she has done eight or nine months of training on her own because they weren't able to train as a group last year."

Ryan dreams of pulling on an Australian jersey alongside the likes of sevens superstars Charlotte Caslick and Ellia Green.

But long before a push for an Olympic Games appearance or even a Super W return with the ACT Brumbies comes her first chance as a leader.

The University of Canberra will host a pre-season tournament this weekend featuring the home side, University of Technology Sydney, University of Newcastle and Melbourne University.

Each team will play three games on Saturday from 10am, with the top three sides advancing to Sunday's three-team finals series.

"Two years ago I probably wasn't ready for the captaincy but now, as soon as the coaches told me, I'm really excited," Ryan said.

"I'm going to take the opportunity to captain the girls and I'm pretty excited. With the experience of some of the older girls, they have definitely helped me gain experience to take this role and really take it head on.

"Some of the younger girls coming through looked up to me. Two years ago, when I looked up to the captains, I really wanted to be in their position.

"Stepping into their shoes this year will be a tough gig but I'm really excited."

McGrath has a 31-player squad at his disposal for the new-look national tournament, which will see nine teams vying for a place in a six-team finals series.

The competition has been split into two pools, with two regional rounds beginning on March 27 followed by two national rounds.

But he will only take 17 players into this weekend's pre-season series.

"It's really an opportunity for us to look at what we have across the squad," McGrath said.

"We know we've got a really good skill level but we haven't had an opportunity to play against any of the other unis yet. This presents a really good opportunity for us to see what we have and who is going to fill out the squad when we travel."

University of Canberra squad: Alahna Ryan, Amy Daniel, Aroha Spillane, Brooke Gilroy, Chloe Waddell, Claudia Obst, Ella Boundy, Ella Ryan (c), Fapiola Uoifalelahi, Gislea Vea, Grace Tokabobo, Janalee Conroy, Lily Murdoch, Pesi Palu, Sarah Deaner, Talei Wilson, Tess Staines.

SEVENS PRE-SEASON TOURNAMENT FIXTURE

Saturday: Game one: University of Canberra v University of Technology Sydney at 10am; Game two: University of Newcastle v Melbourne University at 10.20am; Game three: University of Canberra v Melbourne University at 12pm; Game four: University of Newcastle v University of Technology Sydney at 12.20pm; Game five: Melbourne University v University of Technology Sydney at 2pm; Game six: University of Newcastle v University of Canberra at 2.20pm

Sunday: Semi-final: Second place v Third place at 9am; Grand final: First place v Winner of semi-final at 11am.