Corey Toole is on the verge of an Olympic Games call-up with Australian rugby looking poised to turn to its fastest man to chase a gold medal in Paris.
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The ACT Brumbies winger is in line to be named in the Australian Olympic squad on Wednesday with John Manenti earmarking Toole as a major boost to his squad's medal hopes.
Toole could get the best of both worlds by chasing a gold medal in Paris before pulling on a gold jersey for the Wallabies, with the door open for the 24-year-old to join the Test squad after the Olympics.
The men's sevens tournament in Paris finishes on the morning of July 28 [AEST], and athletes are given just 48 hours after their final event to pack their bags and leave the Olympic village.
It means Toole could jet straight back into Wallabies camp to join Joe Schmidt's side in time for the start of the Rugby Championship, which begins against South Africa in Brisbane on August 10.
Toole quickly emerged as Manenti's No.1 target as he compiled a shortlist of potential squad members which also included Brumbies duo Tom Wright and Ben Donaldson.
Wright is in camp with the Wallabies ahead of Saturday's opening Test against Wales in Sydney, and looks set to win back the No.15 jersey after being cast aside by Eddie Jones last year.
The Brumbies fullback enjoyed a career-best year, finishing in the top five across Super Rugby Pacific for tries scored, carries, clean breaks, defenders beaten, metres gained and offloads.
If anyone was looking for the reason behind the turnaround, Wright grins it's "maybe the dad strength".
Wright and partner Bronte had a baby girl last November, which has given the Brumbies star a fresh perspective on a hard day on the track.
"I have to switch off. Trying to give her the puree at night is a pretty hard part of my day. Touch wood, we're pretty lucky at home and Bron does a lot of heavy lifting during the day," Wright said.
"I definitely smile coming home after what can be a tough day. We were pretty lucky during the season, we didn't have too many crappy games, but coming through the door and dropping your bag, it's pretty much the best part of your day, coming home."
Wright's career-best year was anything but a surprise for Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham.
"He's a really good player and probably unfairly missed an opportunity to be in the World Cup last year," Larkham said.
"Like all the boys have, he's come back out of last year with a lot more motivation to perform this season. He's trained exceptionally well, he's been really driven to have a good season."
Wright is determined to cement his place in the No.15 jersey after the disappointment of last year, which came after he had dropped in and out of the side in recent years.
"Bernie was really good obviously in steering me back early, I got a full pre-season. Nothing drastically changed physically or anything," Wright said.
"It's hard for me to judge my own career-best form, but I feel confident nonetheless. To pivot back to Super Rugby, we get all the way to that final hurdle, and personally [when] you're part of a team, you obviously want to go to that next one so it's hard to judge when we keep getting to that same point [in a semi-final].
"[Test rugby] is a rollercoaster, high highs, low lows, but trying to find that happy medium. You're coming up against the best of the best always."
Caden Helmers
Caden Helmers is a sports journalist for The Canberra Times.
Caden Helmers is a sports journalist for The Canberra Times.
