Driven by the heartbreak of their Paris Olympic performance and an unwavering ambition for gold, Australian rugby sevens stars Maddison and Teagan Levi have committed their futures to Rugby Australia, declining a high-profile cross-code move to the NRLW. The sisters have inked new contracts that will keep them in the national sevens program through the end of 2028, setting the stage for their campaign at the Los Angeles Olympics.
Despite significant interest from the Gold Coast Titans NRLW team, who were poised to sign the duo for the 2026 season, the logistical challenges of a code switch proved insurmountable. The upcoming World Series concludes in June, which would have allowed merely a four-week preparation period for an entirely new sport—a timeline the athletes deemed insufficient for achieving the competitive standard they demand of themselves.
Financial incentives from the league offer were acknowledged but ultimately dismissed as a primary factor. Maddison Levi, already a legendary figure sitting third on the all-time SVNS World Series try-scoring list with 221 tries, emphasized that their decision was rooted in passion. ‘Money is nice, but it’s not the be all and end all. We both play for the love of the game,’ she stated, highlighting the unparalleled value of a full-time training regimen and global travel with the national team.
The profound disappointment from the Paris Games, where Australia fell to Canada in the semi-finals and then suffered a devastating loss to the USA in the bronze medal match, serves as a powerful motivator. The team uses this experience as fuel, with Maddison noting that the loss has left the squad ‘rattled’ but increasingly hungry. A giant poster of Charlotte Caslick from Australia’s gold-medal triumph at the 2016 Rio Olympics now serves as a daily reminder of their ultimate objective in Los Angeles.
While the door remains open for a future transition to rugby league—a sport in their bloodline, as their father Jason played for Manly in the 1990s—the immediate focus is on building a legacy in sevens. The sisters, also drafted by the Gold Coast Suns in the AFLW, are among Australia’s most gifted multi-sport athletes. They confirmed that future offers will be considered individually, as they are not a ‘package deal,’ but for now, their mission is clear: Olympic redemption and dethroning the dominant New Zealand team on the world series circuit.