Teagan Levi: 'I'm scared for the other teams for Maddi to be fresh'

Teagan Levi fears for rival teams when her big sister Maddison is finally unleashed in the Perth Sevens as Australia’s women gun for a hat-trick of world series titles.

Superstar Maddison Levi will miss the first three games of this weekend’s tournament after receiving a red card for a dangerous tackle in Australia’s thrilling win over France in the Cape Town final last month.

Her sending off came after the 21-year-old set up victory with two tries, in the process becoming the quickest player to reach 100 tries in women’s world series matches.

Australia are looking for a home win in the tournament, which gets underway on Friday, after finishing a disappointing fifth in last year’s series in Sydney.

A year younger than Maddison, Teagan expects her sister to come out firing when she gets into the action in the quarter-finals.

“I’m scared for the other teams for Maddi to be fresh,” Teagan said after the squad’s training run in Perth.

“She’s always a weapon out on the field whether she’s fresh or not, so it will be really exciting to see her come out in the quarter-final – hopefully we make it there – and she will show what she’s got and why she’s the leading try-scorer.”

Australia will have a new face in the line-up for Perth in 18-year-old Queenslander Heidi Dennis.

Dennis is a cross-code sensation, originally linked with the Brisbane Roar in soccer’s A-League Women before focusing on the seven-a-side oval-ball game.

The teenager has come in for Demi Hayes, who has suffered a season-ending anterior cruciate ligament injury, and Teagan said Dennis will be a player to watch if she gets a chance in Perth.

“She’s a big body, she’s really powerful and she’s also got some speed about her, so it will be exciting to hopefully see her debut on the weekend,” Teagan said.

“With Mads missing three games, Heidi has a big position to step into – so does everybody else.”

In the group stage, Australia’s women face Canada (world No.5), South Africa (No.11) and Great Britain (No.9).