Rebecca Rippon's historic appointment is a "bit of a big one" and the new Australian women's water polo team coach is adamant her experiences could be the difference between a medal or an Olympics near-miss.
The Beijing Games bronze medallist and World Cup winner will be just the second woman to coach a water polo team at an Olympics when she leads the Stingers in Paris from July.
Incredibly, the long-time assistant is the first woman to coach Australia's women's water polo team, taking over from Paul Oberman last month.
On Friday she named the squad for next month's world championships, forced to make some tough calls in a situation not unfamiliar given Rippon was one of the last cut before the Stingers' 2012 London Games tilt.
With Australia fourth at last year's world championships, Rippon reckons her 266 Tests and vast coaching experience can help them onto the podium.
"Having been through it, and as a female having an understanding of how women think and what motivates them," Rippon told AAP.
"It's definitely an advantage.
"It feels natural and exciting but yeah, it's pretty important.
"With so many successful women out there (but so few coaches) ...it's a bit of a big one.
"Whether it's breaking ground or showing others it can be done, it's not lost on me."
Rippon helps run a NSW government-funded junior program aptly titled Girls Making Waves and insists she has always felt supported to make a splash of her own.
"My first coach was female and as I've been coming through I've seen it and had coaches around me that have always backed me, helped me regardless and actually pushed me harder because I am a woman," she said.
Men's water polo has been an Olympic fixture since 1900 but it took 100 years for women to join them, Australia winning gold in the Sydney debut.
Rippon competed at the next two Games, the country's last medal coming in the form of bronze in London four years later.
"We've got the players that have shown they're capable," Rippon said of the side's medal ambitions.
"I know what's there and it's exciting.
"Think about that gold in Sydney; it's what we talk about to this day, it's what inspires everyone.
"It's the pinnacle and when you do earn something like that it gets everyone invested again.
"The kids are following these girls anyway but maybe they go, 'I want to do that too'.
"It's a point of difference for our sport."
Australia will face Hungary, New Zealand and Singapore in the World Cup group stages in Doha from February 2-18.
* STINGERS WORLD CUP SQUAD: Abby Andrews, Charlize Andrews, Zoe Arancini, Tenealle Fasala, Keesja Gofers, Sienna Green, Bronte Halligan, Sienna Hearn, Danijela Jackovich, Tilly Kearns, Bridget Leeson-Smith, Genevieve Longman, Gabi Palm, Sofie Pontre, Alice Williams.
