Emilee Cherry topped the votes from peers to win the 2014 Women's Sevens Players' Player, while the men chose Cam Clark as their Sevens Players' Player, after a huge year for both.
Winner of last year’s Sevens Award for Excellence at the RUPA Awards, Emilee Cherry has enjoyed a record breaking 2014 season. The Sevens star may have to invest in a larger trophy cabinet, having already picked up the Shawn Mackay Sevens Player of the Year Award, the Women’s Player of the Year Award and 2013/14 World Rugby Sevens Player of the Year Award, after leading the Series statistics in tries (33) and point scoring (135).
Cam Clark stamped his authority as one of the premier Sevens players on the circuit in 2014. Benefitting from a few years in the program, the Aussie flyer has taken on the added pressure of the kicking duties.
To cap off a remarkable 2013/14 Sevens World Series, Cameron was named in World Rugby’s Men's Sevens Team of the Year and was awarded the Qantas Men’s Sevens Player of the Year.
The Men’s and Women’s Sevens Players’ Player Awards remain the only rugby Sevens awards in Australia voted by the players themselves and announced exclusively at the annual RUPA Awards.
Similar to the Medal for Excellence, Newcomer of the Year and the new Buildcorp NRC Players’ Player Awards, members of the national Sevens squads throughout 2014 vote from a list of five finalists, using the 3-2-1 points system, based on their performance, leadership, consistency and discipline.
The purpose of the RUPA Awards is to recognise Australia’s professionally contracted rugby players for their off-field efforts and allow them to have their say as to which of their peers should win for the character shown both on and off the rugby field.
With a good mixture of youth, speed, talent and leadership in both squads, the award provides a good chance to recognise and reward our Sevens standouts as their Olympic qualifications pathway takes full flight on board the 2014/15 World Series.
All five of the Women’s Sevens Players’ Player finalists below starred in the Aussie's Cup Final runners up campaign at the recent Dubai Sevens, while four out of the five Men’s Sevens Players’ Player Finalists ran out in their Cup Final runners up campaign also in Dubai, after losing Jesse Parahi to injury.
The rest of the Men's and Women's Sevens Players' Player Finalists are below.
Men’s Sevens Players’ Player Award Finalists
Jesse Parahi
Boasting plenty of experience on the World Circuit, Jesse Parahi is one of the most consistent performers for the Men’s Sevens team, featuring in every round of the 2013/14 Sevens World Series. Born and raised on the Central Coast, Jesse is the ambassador for the Central Coast Sevens, a tournament that has been a breeding ground for future Australian talent in recent years.
Con Foley
Much like his teammate Jesse, Con has been crucial to the Men’s side this year, playing in every round of the 2013/14 World Series. Despite his seemingly young age of 22, Con has emerged as a leader within the squad, taking on the Captaincy role on a number of occasions. Con was a key figure in the Australian’s Commonwealth Games campaign that saw them claim the Bronze Medal.
Greg Jeloudev
One of the genuine speedsters in the Men’s squad, Greg has been in red-hot form representing not only his country in Sevens, but also Sydney University in the Shute Shield. Following a string of eye-catching performances in front of a packed Hong Kong stadium, Greg was named in the 2014 Hong Kong dream team. In addition to his achievements on the field, Greg is also in the final stages of studying a Bachelor of Liberal Arts and Science Degree at Sydney University.
Ed Jenkins
A long time servant of the Australian Sevens, the Men’s Captain Ed Jenkins overcame a string of injuries to return to his brilliant best this season. One of the most experienced members of the squad, Ed has taken on a mentoring role that extends far beyond the Rugby field. Representing Australia at his second Commonwealth Games in 2014, Ed added a Bronze Medal to go with his Silver one from 2010.
Women’s Sevens Players Player Finalists
Sharni Williams
Australian Women’s Sevens Captain Sharni Williams is one of the most experienced female Rugby players in the country, and has been a standout leading her team to two tournament wins in 2014. In addition to her strong form on the Sevens circuit, Sharni was also one of the Wallaroos best at the World Cup in France earlier this year.
Charlotte Caslick
At just 19 years of age, Charlotte has demonstrated experience and discipline beyond her years to star for both the Queensland and Australian Sevens this year. Nominated for World Rugby’s Sevens Player of the Year Award, alongside eventual winner Emilee Cherry, Charlotte was named Player of the Tournament following the conclusion of the National Sevens Championships that was held in Canberra earlier this year.
Alicia Quirk
A dual international in touch football and Rugby Sevens, Alicia Quirk has been a hit since transitioning over to the more physical game of Rugby Sevens. Most recently though, Alicia represented the sport of Rugby Sevens at the Australian Olympic Committee’s ‘Two Years to Rio’ media event in August alongside double Winter Olympic medallist Torah Bright, basketball star Liz Cambage and water polo athlete Holly Lincoln-Smith. In addition to her full time training schedule, Alicia has also found the time to start taking Portuguese lessons.
Shannon Parry
Another veteran of the Women’s Sevens program, Shannon Parry has enjoyed a hugely successful 2014 season. After Captaining the Queensland Sevens team to the National Sevens Title back in March, she featured heavily in the Women’s push for an inaugural World Series title. Showing her versatility Shannon also Captained the Wallaroos side at the World Cup in France and was appointed to RUPA’s Board of Player Directors as a Women’s rugby and Sevens representative.
