Touch Football: Tamworth Touch Association teams exceed expectations at Northern Eagles Junior Championships

Playing at the Northern Eagles Junior Championships in Coffs Harbour, half-a-dozen of Tamworth's best young representative outfits "absolutely" exceeded expectations, according to association president Stacy Jolliffe.

"We've been out of the rep scene for a while, so getting back into it's always a little bit tough," she said.

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"The team all came away with a win or a draw and some close matches. I think the kids were going over there expecting that they'd get flogged, but they were quite stoked that they came away with some nice results."

Of the sides that attended, the under 14s boys were the standouts and reached the semi-finals of their division.

Their results, Jolliffe said, were driven in part by the fact that the boys had played together before.

"They've had a few lead-in comps that they've been to as well, so they have a little bit more playing experience together, which I think has helped," she said.

"For a lot of the other teams, this was their first time playing together."

The tournament serves as a lead-in for the Junior State Cup, which is set to take place next month in Dubbo.

The Northern Eagles use it as a selection trial, and Jolliffe said the Tamworth sides have gained valuable experience which she hopes they will put to good use at the State Cup.

"Going to these kinds of lead-in carnivals shows you what else is out there," she said.

"And it does give you hope knowing that the teams are matching the other affiliates that have been in the competition for a while and either beating them or not too far behind them."

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