It can be abundantly clear the place the supporters of the Levi sisters can be this weekend – 80 of them can be sporting T-shirts emblazoned with the photographs of Maddison and Teagan at Allianz Stadium.
The sibling stars of the Australian ladies’s sevens workforce are attracting a complete new group of followers to the game since switching from the AFLW, the place they have been contracted to the Gold Coast Suns.
Maddison claimed the World Series rookie of the yr award in her debut season final yr, and is already the main tryscorer within the 2022-23 sequence after three occasions.
Now, the sisters will lastly get to play in entrance of a house viewers on the Sydney Sevens, to be performed from Friday to Sunday – with supporters coming from Melbourne, and a busload from their junior AFL membership in Queensland.
“Mum bought 80 shirts with our faces on it. She had messages from everyone coming saying, ‘Can I get one?’” Maddison Levi mentioned.
“She talks all the time about how we have family and friends who’ve never watched Rugby Sevens before, but because of that mutual connection with Teags and I in the team, they can’t get enough. They sit and watch it all the time.
“They’re so keen to see it, so to be able to have them come and watch it in real life, the home country and supporters, that’s how a lot of us players got influenced to play, watching rugby.
“To put on a show and do the same thing is pretty exciting.
“My friends and family have been with us through the highs and lows, watched us kick the footy around on the back of a swamp, not much going on. So for them to watch us at the Sydney Sevens is going to be really cool.”
Levi, 20, and 19-year-old Teagan grew up with a really totally different dream; to develop into world-famous dancers.
“I used to dance, so all my old dance friends are coming to watch,” she mentioned.
“I did all styles, acro (a combination of classical dance and acrobatics), jazz, hip-hop. I originally dreamed of travelling the world dancing, now I’m travelling the world doing something completely different.
“If it wasn’t for me doing dancing, touch footy, as a kid – my mum and dad never forced us into anything – it’s paid off with the agility and being light on your feet, and the ball skills and aerial skills from AFL, I wouldn’t be the athlete I am if I didn’t have a dabble in all these sports.
“It’s probably the biggest piece of advice I can give to kids now, don’t put yourself in one sport and expect to excel. Play a bit of everything, and then you’ll fall in love with one sport.”
Levi performed with the Suns within the 2021 AFLW season, whereas Teagan was their No.1 draft choose earlier than each switched codes.
While Levi has left the door open on a return to Aussie guidelines, it gained’t be earlier than subsequent yr’s Olympic Games.
“It’s definitely still an option down the track, they’re probably my biggest supporters,” Levi mentioned.
“They were the ones who definitely helped make this decision. Teags and I definitely sat down, days of crying and stressing, I don’t like to let people down.
“Now I look back at it, why was a crying? AFL is always an option on the cards.
“I’m grateful to have played that one season. But the opportunity to represent your country, travel the world with my best friends and my sister is pretty exciting.
“Everything happens for a reason, right now this is where I’m meant to be. And the 2024 Olympics on the cards is pretty exciting.
“Hopefully I’ll get to step on that flight to Paris with my sister, that will be an experience in itself.”
Originally printed as Sydney Sevens 2023: Follow the newest news and outcomes
