City of Orange Touch Association will have title hopes in all age divisions of Sunday’s Don Green Western Junior Championships at Dubbo’s Riverbank Ovals, where the most exciting young touch players in regional NSW will be on show.
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Close to 50 teams competing in nine age divisions will take part on Sunday, the Thunder will have boys’ and girls’ teams in under 10s right up to the under-18 competitions. Orange will field two under-10 girls’ sides.
They’ll have stiff competition from the hosts in particular, with Dubbo Touch Associaton president Neil Webster saying the local sides are in it to win it.
They, along with the Thunder players, are desperate to put their hands up for Hunter-Western Hornets sides too.
“It’s a lot of local teams, which great,” Webster said.
“We’ve got seven teams in a range of divisions from the under 10s boys’ and girls’ through to the under 18s and they’ve been training since about September and October.”
The Dubbo team has already taken part in two representative carnivals this year while another tournament at the Central Coast in two weeks’ time will round out the season.
Webster said that familiarity is sure to help the Dubbo sides gunning for glory on Sunday, but said the Thunder will probably enter most divisions as heavyweights.
“The coaches have been working and they’re really looking forward to it,” he said.
“Traditionally Orange is a very strong club but we’re finding we’re getting closer and closer.
“That’s great and it’s about keeping those rep sides together.
“The teams have been performing more strongly as the years have gone by.
“The coaches and the kids are keen so we’ll go very well.”
As well as the Dubbo Devils and Orange Thunder, the Mudgee Mudcrabs and Parkes Pumas are two other clubs heavily represented.
The Wellington, Young and Portland Touch Associations will also be bringing a number of sides while there will also be a Parramatta Eels side competing in the girl’s under-18s division.
Webster was particularly excited about the Parramatta side, saying the Eels will add something new.
“And Young and Portland are sending more sides, and Wellington too, so it’s going to be great to see those smaller clubs as well,” he said.
Talent scouts and selectors will also be in attendance, watching all the matches closely with Hornets spots on the line.
The Junior State Cup is coming up in mid-February and it seems almost inevitable, as in most summers, that several Thunder players will earn a guernsey.
In one update this year, the boys’ under-16 and under-18 competitions have merged into one big division, providing more high quality touch and for the younger sides, an opportunity to be exposed to more experienced, developed teams.
Orange will field a side of both ages in that division, as will the Pumas. They’ll face sides from Mudgee and Dubbo.
Matches begin from 9am on Sunday.
After the preliminary rounds the finals will finish at roughly 3pm.