The Cook Islands have named a young squad to contest this weekend's Oceania Sevens tournament in Noosa on Australia's Sunshine Coast.
Five of the team's most experienced players are unavailable due to work commitments and injury, dropping the average age of the team from 28 to 23 years.
19 year-old Josh Petero will captain the squad after making his debut at the Hong Kong Sevens earlier this year and also featuring in the team's highest ever finish at the Commonwealth Games.
Head coach Chad Tuoro says the Oceania tournament is vital to build on the progress made in 2014 by securing a place at the Wellington and Hong Kong tournaments on the upcoming World Series.
The Cook Islands are seeded fifth in Noosa and are in the same pool as Fiji, Solomon Islands and Tahiti.
