'It's about exposure': Tamworth Titans return to State Cup

Four Tamworth Titans teams will soon make the journey to Port Macquarie for the Junior State Cup, which is set to run from Friday to Sunday.

These sides, TTA rep coordinator Steph Halpin said, epitomize the growth of the sport in Tamworth over the last few years after "at least five or six years" without representative teams.

"Recently we've experienced a large growth in the sport, and so we decided we need to offer pathways to kids and to the adults as well," Halpin said.

"So we've reaffiliated with the state body, which is NSW Touch, and since then we've held trials and have four new teams on the park."

The Titans will field teams in the the 12s Boys and Girls, the 16s Girls, and the 18s Boys divisions.

As neither the association nor the players know what to expect from the State Cup, the focus for the teams is not on results but on learning from the experience.

"For us, it's about exposure back to high-level touch footy," Halpin said.

"Our teams have got kids who are very talented, but in terms of expectations on winning, we haven't put too much pressure on them apart from going out there and learn as much as you can.

"Having been out for so long, it's hard to know what the standard is. You get a rough idea, but until you get over there, that's when we'll find out for sure."

Tamworth's absence from the representative touch football scene was caused by a dip in playing numbers locally.

Inversely, its return is a result of the sport's resurgence, which Halpin believes was caused by the reaffiliation with Touch NSW and better marketing of touch football locally.

"[Our focus has been] promoting the sport a little bit more, word of mouth, and putting on a good competition," she said.

"We've really worked hard, particularly with our mixed competition on Wednesday nights, to pump that up and get people involved."

Touch football, Halpin added, has also benefited from the transferrable skills it shares with both rugby league and rugby union.

"Touch footy gives [the players] very good skills to make it in the NRL or NRLW," she said.

"Alongside that, the rugby union has been looking at touch players very carefully because of their ability to throw the ball around, which is the key in touch footy.

"It's a good foundational sport for those pathways."

To once again be able to field representative sides has left Halpin and the TTA committee "absolutely pumped", and eager to continue growing the sport in Tamworth.

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