'The quickest we've got': The Canberra flyer speeding into sevens heaven

"He's probably the quickest we've got at the moment in a pure speed testing measurement," Australian men's sevens coach John Manenti said.

Which is why the 20-year-old ACT prospect has rivals on high alert in Perth this weekend as the World Sevens Series heads west.

Great Britain learnt the hard way when Palmer scored during a dominant second half which saw Australia close out day one of the tournament with a win. But just how quick is the Tuggeranong Vikings flyer who toured Japan with Stephen Larkham's ACT Brumbies last year?

Palmer ran the 100m in 10.6 seconds during his final year of school at Hamilton Boys in New Zealand. Last year he covered 10.3 metres per second over 40 metres.

That time puts him above even Corey Toole, the Brumbies winger Manenti wants back in the fold for the Paris Olympic Games this year - if he's not already wearing Wallaby gold. As of last May, Toole had hit a top speed of 10.2 metres per second.

Palmer came from nowhere to emerge on the radar of Australian sevens coaches last year, and he is quickly establishing himself as a key part of their squad on the road to Paris.

"He's a great kid, hard working. When I say hardest working, it's on the field and off the field. His self-analysis and review, his training every day is really methodical. The benefits are being seen," Manenti said.

"He's gone from being probably nowhere near the mix, to not only in the mix but establishing himself as a real key part of the group. He's got that quintessential thing you need in sevens - speed.

"He's only going to get better with opportunities and exposure at this level. He came at the back end of last season and was here for two days, he impressed us as much with his attitude around preparation.

"He's been in and around us in a part-time capacity since about October. Now he's sort of permanent part-time. When we're in Sydney training, he's up in Sydney training with us. When we have a week off, he'll head back to Canberra and train with the Brumbies.

"The Brumbies have been really good with him and they're keen for us to keep giving him opportunities for development, and supporting him really well.

"When he's with us, he's with us. When he's down there, they train him and have him do what we need him to do, which is run fast effectively and often."

Palmer can almost sense a shot at Olympic gold on the horizon - but Manenti's squad know a ticket to Paris is no certainty with a host of stars set to enter the selection frame.

Toole is just one Super Rugby player in Manenti's sights after he set the sevens circuit on fire during his debut season before joining the Brumbies, while Michael Hooper is still counting down the days until his debut after missing the Perth tournament.