CITY of Orange Touch Association (COTA) star Mandy Moore has played plenty of touch football over a long and decorated career.
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But very rarely has she played in the right age bracket.
More likely to be found towelling up much younger players in the open mixed division of the national championships, Moore this year decided to try her hand at the women’s 40s division at last week’s National Touch League tournament.
And going on the results of her Hunter Western Hornets team, she made the right decision.
Moore helped lift the Hornets to this year’s title, dropping just one of seven matches on their way to a 6-1 thumping of the previously untouchable Sydney Scorpions in the final.
To add to the excitement, Moore claimed the player of the final award.
“This is the first time I’ve played in my correct age group,” Moore revealed, scoring one try and setting up three others in the five try thumping of the Scorpions.
“(Hunter Western) had never beaten Scorpions before. There were a couple of different players in there, a gutsier effort I think. We started with 16 in the squad and then ended up with 12. We got through, it was just a gutsy effort.
“It just clicked at the right time for us.”
Following the win by the Hunter Western girls, Moore, along with a host of others, are candidates to be selected in the NSW side in July.
Moore believes she’s a chance at state selection, as are a few other COTA guns.
“I think Sandon (Gibbs-O’Neill) and Tori (Moore) might scrape in for the state squad as well. It’ll come out in the next few weeks and there will be trials in July,” she said, with both Tori and Sandon joining Ryan Moore in the Hornets mixed open side.
Orange was also represented by a host of referees at the four-day tournament, with Billy Greatbatch, Tim Ah See and Karl Youse in action.