New University of Canberra sevens coach Liam McGrath will make the leap from team manager to the man in charge when he takes the reins for the national series this year.
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McGrath will step into his first senior head coaching role, replacing Dave Grimmond after the first two years after the university-driven competition.
He will lean on Australian sevens skipper Sharni Williams and Canberra rugby veteran Louise Burrows for input as Canberra chase their first opportunity to compete for a title.
"I've done bits and pieces [of coaching] ... in terms of official roles it's mainly been focused on junior footy," McGrath said.
"Over the last two years I've taken on a lot of the specialised roles, so I'm pretty pumped to get started. [Sevens] is a really dynamic game and at its core it really focuses on the core skills of rugby.
"The pace, the speed and how dynamic it is and now that it's an Olympic sport, it's starting to gain some profile. We've got a core of about 10 girls who know what to expect and are really starting progress."
McGrath, a Canberra first-grade premiership winner, will likely draw on the talent being developed in the Brumbies' Super W side to bolster his ranks when the competition starts in August or September.
The national sevens series will be in its third year and Canberra will host one leg of the series, which expanded to five rounds last season.
The University of Canberra is investing more in its sports program, piloted by WNBL champions the Canberra Capitals. W-League side Canberra United is based at the Bruce campus and the university launched a swim program last week, which will be led by coach Tracey Menzies.
