It's because she's again showing her trademark explosive speed, brutal fend and hard-hitting defence and picked up a pair of Rugby Sevens World Cup series gold medals.

It's because she's finally got some reward for her hard work.

During her bid to gain selection in the Australian women's team for the Tokyo Olympic Games, Whitfeld was dealt a huge blow when she had to undergo an ACL reconstruction.

That didn't completely rule her out. She worked hard in recovery and even made an appearance at the Oceania Games. But ultimately Whitfeld was not able to get back to 100 percent in time.

"We knew it was against all odds but we were going to try, we weren't ruling anything out, so that's what kept me pushing, that's what kept me trying because they didn't say no," she said of trying to qualify for the Games after surgery.

"I ended up being able to play at the Oceania Tournament in the lead up to the Olympics but I definitely wasn't playing at 100 percent and my knee wasn't at 100 percent. That was unfortunate, but that's just sport, we did everything we could - the staff, myself, we couldn't have done anything more.

"It was pretty good to get back when I did, most people take nine to 12 months to get back and I came back at six."

Missing out on selection - even though she knew she could have done nothing more - still stung Whitfeld.

But better things lay ahead. In late November she jetted out to Dubai with the Australian team for the start of the latest edition of the World Rugby Sevens Series.

As part of her recovery management Whitfeld did not play in round one, but as she was part of the squad which travelled she was still rewarded with a gold medal after Australia beat Fiji in the final.

But in round two the Bathurst talent again laced up her boots. It was a chance she relished.

"It's been almost two years actually since I debuted in Cape Town. So it was a pretty surreal feeling because it had been such a long time, but it also felt awesome to finally be able to get back out there and play with the girls," she said.

"I think I got past the stage of being nervous because I was just so keen to be out there. I feel like I was ready, I knew what I had to do, so I was not as nervous as I thought I was going to be.

"It was just so good to be back out there as a stepping stone going forward."

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Whitfeld scored in her first game back in Australia colours, her trademark fend helping her across the line in the 10^th minute of her side's 40-0 win over Spain.

"All the girls got around me which was really nice, I think they knew what I went through and what it meant to me. It was a really cool feeling when everyone came and hugged me, I think I was about to start crying," she said.

She scored another try as Australia beat Canada 52-0, the green and golds following that up by beating Brazil 35-7 and Russia 26-17.

In the cup final they were pitted against Fiji and came 15-5 victors.

It augurs well for what lies ahead in 2022.

There's another Rugby Sevens Series double-header in January, this time in Spain with Malaga and Seville to host. Then there's Commonwealth Games in August and the World Cup tournament in September.

"Our squad is going really well at the moment, we have such a young group but all the girls are starting to stand up and all playing amazing and starting to vibe really well," Whitfeld said.

"It's a really good start to our season and we'll just build on this coming into a big year next year with Com Games and the Sevens World Cup."

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