The Australian Men's and Women's Sevens sides have confirmed ten departing players ahead of their return to the World Series in November.
Shannon Parry, Emma Tonegato, Chloe Dalton and Ellia Green have made the decision to retire from the program, having been a part of it since the beginning.
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Former co-captain Parry headlines the list, making her debut in 2012 in Amsterdam, going on to play at 34 events, the second-highest in program history.
She will make the switch back to the 15-a-side game with the Reds ahead of next year's World Cup.
She is joined by Green, with Australia's highest try scorer in Sevens history (141 tries) making the announcement of her retirement last week
Meanwhile, Dalton will return to AFL after making the return to rugby union, where she played 16 events between 2014-2016, including the 2016 Olympics.
Rounding out the list of fellow gold-medalists is Tonegato, with the two time Olympian and cross-code star proving a nightmare for defenders across her 31 events, scoring an incredible 625 points.
Additionally, the Men’s program has confirmed the departure of Lewis Holland, Lachlan Anderson, Joe Pincus, Dylan Pietsch, Josh Coward and Lachlan Miller.
Holland brought up a program-record 53rd event in 2020, stepping up as captain for the 18/19 Series.
He is joined by Anderson, who made his debut in 2016 in Sydney, playing 26 events between 2017-2020.
The flyer will head south to the Rebels, joined by Sevens teammate Joe Pincus, who follows in his brother's footsteps after playing 12 events since his debut in 2018.
They will likely come against former teammate Pietsch, who inked a one-year deal with the Waratahs, scoring 23 tries across his 18 appearances for Australia.
Coward departs after making his Olympics debut, just two years after his series debut in Hamilton, recording 114 points in just seven events.
Meanwhile, the 27-year-old Miller calls time on his union career, having burst onto the scene at the Hong Kong Sevens in 2019.
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“We have been very fortunate to have worked with and enjoyed watching these athletes over the past seven years. RA CEO Andy Marinos said in a statement.
“These men and women have been some of the true legends of the sevens game and whilst bittersweet, it is befitting that we both acknowledge and thank them for the contributions in saying goodbye.
“This group of players represents 224 caps and 3,045 points of World Series experience, which is significant however we are confident that the systems and structures we continue to build and develop will deliver success in to the future.
“From our ‘Golden Girls’ of Rio who set the Women’s Sevens game alight to the Tokyo 2021 contingent, each player has dedicated a significant part of their lives to serving our game, and we thank them for it.
“On behalf of the entire Rugby family, I’d like to extend our heartfelt thanks for everything they have done and achieved and we wish them all the best in the future."
With the Series set to recommence at the end of November in Dubai, the squad will be confirmed in the coming days.
