PORT Macquarie’s girls under-14s were one of the few local teams to make a dent in the tournament, making the final 16 of their age group.
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Coach Deb Maloney was buzzing with pride after her side crashed out in the quarter finals, saying the team did extremely well.
“We had a great tournament and the girls did extremely well to gel as well as they did,” Maloney said.
“Most of the girls didn’t even know each other before this tournament, but they did what they had to do and came together as a team.
“They played as a whole and not as individuals, which was the key for us.”
After a few early upsets, the girls were eventually out-muscled in the finals, 8-0 by Muswellbrook, a heavyweight of the division who won its pool.
“They were very tough, a lot of the teams are just so well drilled, however the girls never gave up. They’re a great bunch and I’m so proud.”
Most teams in the tournament play all year long, however, in Port Macquarie, the sides only play one term of touch football per year, making preperations harder according to Lousie Budnick, coach of the girls under-16s.
“Teams from Sydney and those areas get to play touch football all year long, which makes it harder for the local teams who only get to play one term,” she said.
“However, the tournament was brilliant. The kids had fun and the rain and mud didn’t stop anyone.”