SHE scored a crucial try in Australia’s gold-medal game in Rio and was the player of the tournament at the last women’s sevens world series tournament in Dubai.

But the stellar rugby career of Evania Pelite may never have got off the launch pad had it not been for a bunch of her gymnast and dancer mates being interested in a day off school.

That was the unusual entry point for Pelite into the world of rugby sevens in 2012 after a childhood previously spent on touch and league fields in Brisbane’s outer reaches.

Already an accomplished young athlete, Pelite was steered towards sevens by her family and after attending a tryout clinic put on by the QRU, she was told about an upcoming schools tournament.

“I went back to my school and asked if we could play and they said “nah”, which was surprising because our school played union with the boys,” Pelite said.

“But they said if you can find 12 girls who want to play then we’ll see what we can do. So I went around the school recruiting.”

Slowly but surely she coaxed 11 other players into playing; a few other touch footballers, with a couple of gymnasts and some dancers too.

“It was very hard, actually,” Pelite said.

“I found enough girls but I was surprised they turned up to be honest. I was like ‘c’mon, it’ll be fun’ but it was probably more ‘you get a day off school’.”

Despite most only being taught how to tackle on the morning before their first game the girls from St Columbans in Caboolture made it all the way to the final.

“I still think we won, because it was a school comp,” Pelite said.

“Charlotte Caslick’s dad had put in a team but they played as a club, as Wests Bulldogs. They had girls from all different schools playing in the club and they flogged us in the finals.”

The event was, in fact, an under 18 tournament so both sides have claims but Pelite’s talent was undisputed and she was named in the Queensland schools team, along with Caslick and another future Aussie teammate Georgie Friedrichs.

Pelite was subsequently named in the victorious Australian team for the 2013 Youth Olympics, and after also representing Australia in touch footy that year, the teenager was quickly snapped up by Australian coach Tim Walsh.

At just 17, Pelite made her debut for the Australian womens team in Amsterdam in May 2013, less than a year after her scrambling mission to muster up her team at school.

She moved to Sydney soon after and has been a regular in gold since. As the youngest member of the team, Pelite scored the go-ahead try for Australia at the Olympics against New Zealand before halftime and the Aussie girls never let the Kiwis back in.

Pelite may be one of a bunch of skilful and fast ex-touchies in the Aussie team but her hometown of Deception Bay doesn’t necessarily align neatly. The 22-year-old is a power athlete and she is just as comfortable running at someone as she is scooting around them.

“I grew up playing rugby league with the boys ... so I enjoy that side of it,” Pelite said.

“That was probably the selling point to make the switch to sevens from touch.”

Pelite has no plans to make a return to league and the new womens NRL comp any time soon, however, such are the advantages of a full-time contract that sees her travel the world, get paid well and go to Olympic and Commonwealth Games.

The latter is around the corner in April but first up is the Sydney Sevens this weekend, where Australia will go into the tournament as major contenders following their last-start win in Dubai.

Much of the victory was due to Pelite, who positioned herself alongside Caslick and Emilee Cherry as one of the major stars of the side.

“I could not speak highly enough of Evania Pelite ... she’s always under the radar and has been for five years” Walsh said post-tournament.

“She goes about her business and it’s incredible, how she performs.”