Ten players are in line for a Test debut after being included a new-look Wallaroos squad to face Fijiana before the Pacific Four series, although teen star Caitlyn Halse has been left out.
Interim Australia coach Sam Needs has injected a wave of new talent into the squad, while 19 players are returning after being part of last year's Rugby World Cup campaign.
Piper Simons and Sidney Taylor, who are contracted to the Australian sevens program, are the latest players to switch to the 15-a-side format after Charlotte Caslick, Tia Hinds and Bienne Terita played for the Wallaroos last year.
Experienced NSW hooker Brittany Merlo could get a chance to debut after Katalina Amosa suffered a season-ending knee injury during a Wallaroos training camp in February.
Amosa joins 2025 Wallaroos player of the year Tabua Tuinakauvadra (knee) on the sidelines while six other players were unavailable for selection due to injury including fullback Halse, who had a disrupted pre-season.
World Cup star Halse only had her first full week of training last week, with selectors opting to leave the under-done 19-year-old at home to ensure she returns to peak fitness.
Promising outside backs Nicole Ledington, Brooklyn Teki-Joyce, Ella Ryan and Ava Wereta are among the new faces, while forwards Dillyn Blackburn, Zoe Elliott and Lily Bone have also been included for the first time.
"The squad selected has a great mix of youth and experience with 10 new faces who have been competing hard and could potentially make their debuts over the next month" Needs said in a statement on Tuesday.
"We've had three four-day camps since the World Cup, and each camp has been highly competitive, and we want to take that momentum through to our first Test against Fijiana and then carry on into the Pacific Four series.
"It's unfortunate that we've lost a few players to injury in the pre-season, but we are excited by the opportunities it creates for other players to step up, which is important for us to keep building depth in the lead up to the 2029 World Cup."
Australia will start their 2026 Test season against Fijiana at Canberra's GIO Stadium on March 27.
The squad will then depart for the United States in April to begin the Pacific Four series - the first time the Wallaroos have toured America in their 32-year history.
Wallaroos: Dillyn Blackburn (Queensland), Lily Bone (ACT), Emily Chancellor (NSW), Piper Duck (NSW), Zoe Elliott (Western Force), Waiaria Ellis (NSW), Ashley Fernandez (ACT), Georgina Friedrichs (NSW), Brianna Hoy (NSW), Eva Karpani (Queensland), Kaitlan Leaney (NSW), Nicole Ledington (Western Force), Michaela Leonard (Western Force), Brittany Merlo (NSW), Desiree Miller (NSW), Tiarah Minns (Queensland), Faitala Moleka (ACT), Tania Naden (ACT), Bridie O'Gorman (NSW), Siokapesi Palu Sekona (ACT), Faliki Pohiva (NSW), Ella Ryan (ACT), Piper Simons (NSW), Cecilia Smith (Western Force), Maya Stewart (NSW), Adiana Talakai (NSW), Sidney Taylor (Queensland), Brooklyn Teki-Joyce (Western Force), Ava Wereta (Queensland), Samantha Wood (Western Force).
