2024 represents a fresh slate for players to step up and make a name for themselves.
Both 15s national sides have a new coach whilst there are opportunities to shine across Super Rugby Pacific and Super Rugby W.
Don’t miss HSBC SVNS Perth in 2024: 26-28 January at HBF Park. Get your tickets now!
Some players have debuted for their country, are on the verge of national selection or are eager to make their club debuts.
Rugby.com.au looks at 12 players to watch ahead of the 2024 season.
1. Billy Pollard
Pollard returns to the nation’s capital with valuable experience abroad after his stint with powerhouse La Rochelle.
The one-Test Wallaby struggled with injury in 2023 but will put significant pressure on Lachlan Lonergan to usurp his starting position.
Pollard possesses unique speed for a hooker, drawing comparisons to the likes of Dane Coles and if he can live up to that hype, he can make a serious push for the Wallabies squad again.
2. Will Harris
Will Harris will hope a move to the Western Force can bring the best out of him as he ops for a sea change.
The 23-year-old struggled to nail down a consistent starting role with the Waratahs in 2023, starting in just five games.
2022 was a breakout year for Harris, delivering on his potential with a call-up to the Australia A squad.
His reunion with Simon Cron and a fresh opportunity to cement his spot in the back row can return him to this level and beyond.
3. Glen Vaihu
Vaihu is another on the list who struggled with injury and cementing his spot in the starting side.
However, with Monty Ioane heading to Lyon, Vaihu will be fierce competition in the battle to partner Lachie Anderson and Andrew Kellaway.
If he can hold out Darby Lancaster and Joe Pincus, expect big things from the wing. Vaihu was one of their best in 2022 and has immense potential thanks to his rapid speed and underrated strength.
He fits the style Melbourne wants to play perfectly and will be looking to be unleashed in 2024.
4. Harry McLaughlin-Phillips
McLaughlin-Phililps is the next big flyhalf coming through the Queensland ranks.
The 19-year-old has impressed in every opportunity he has received, eventually starting for the Junior Wallabies in 2023.
The playmaker is the red-hot favourite to start again this year as Nathan Grey’s side builds off its fifth-place finish with the U20 TRC.
However, don’t be surprised he has already made his debut for the Reds by then. He has already been called into the main squad for the Reds in 2024 and was player of the match in their trial win over Panasonic Wild Knights.
5. Miles Amarosero
The towering Waratah returns home with big expectations and potential after his stint with Claremont.
Such is the hype on Amarosero, he is considered one of the players who got away in France after moving over there as a teenager, seen in a similar light to Australian-born lock, French lock-in-waiting Emmanuel Meafou.
Amarosero adds much-needed size to the Waratahs pack and with a host of Wallabies overseas, he has an immediate chance to impress the new coach when they are appointed.
6. Desiree Miller
Miller has emerged as one the brightest up-and-coming talents in the Waratahs system after a breakout in 2023.
The flashy winger burnt the competition in Super W before eventually working her way into the Wallaroos set-up.
The Easts product only picked up the game during the COVID lockdown in 2021 yet looks incredibly comfortable on the edge and in the technical aspects of the game.
As the Wallaroos program continues to expand, Miller will push Maya Stewart and Ivania Wong for a regular starting spot in the Australian set-up.
7. Tabua Tuinakauvadra Tuinakauvadra is another Super W standout who got her chance to shine with the Wallaroos in 2023.
The back-rower was the Brumbies' best in a resurgent season and found herself rewarded with an Australian debut against Fiji at just 20.
Tuinakauvadra’s game will only grow under Brumbies coach Scott Fava, the perfect role model to continue her development.
The back row for the Wallaroos is heavily contested, especially with the return of Piper Duck, but the Brumby has the talent to lock one down.
8. Tiarah Minns
Minns will be ready to put a terrible injury run behind her as she hunts for that elusive Wallaroos debut.
The lock has been consistently selected in the Players of National Interest squad, only to miss the 2023 season due to another setback following a knee injury in 2022.
The Rebels struggled in 2023 without her, with Minns’ presence around the set-piece game crucial to their development
9. Ellie Draper
Draper was incredibly close to an Australian call-up in 2023, with 2024 looming as the year for the red-head Red to shine.
Her connection with Wallaroos debutant Carys Dallinger was crucial in getting the side into the Super W Final.
This will only continue with another year together as they hunt for their first title.
If they can be the team to knock off Fijiana, Draper will likely play a huge part in it.
10. Tamika Jones
Jones is another Wallaroos in waiting who had her 2023 year ravaged by injury.
Jones fractured her tibia and fibula in the Next Gen Sevens, sidelining the inaugural Rebecca Clough Medalist for the entire Super W season.
The flanker will be out to make up for lost time in 2024 as the Force builds on a promising season with new coach Dylan Parsons.
11. Hadley Tonga
Tonga is looking to use the Sevens format to springboard his career as the teenager hunts for an Olympics berth.
The 18-year-old reportedly ran the 100m in 10.84m in the rain, rejecting advances from the NRL to sign with the Sevens with Paris in mind.
The Sevens squad needs genuine speedsters and whilst Henry Palmer has delivered so far, Tonga can add another threat to a squad growing in confidence
12. Heidi Dennis
Dennis is the latest cross-code teenage sensation ready to step up on the Sevens circuit.
She was signed with the Brisbane Roar in the A-League Women's competition before turning her full-time focus to the Sevens program.
The 18-year-old helped Australia to gold at the Youth Commonwealth Games and recently went to Cape Town with the title-winning squad.
With Demi Hayes on the sidelines with an ACL injury, Dennis will push her case to be the latest debutant.
