At the recent Queensland Touch Football State Championships, North Queensland Cyclones teams in three separate divisions walked away wearing a State Championships crown, with two others narrowly going down in their final and three others bowing out after defeats in the semi-final stage.
The Men’s Under 20, Men’s Over 30 and Men’s Over 55 age division sides all claimed their age divisions with hard fought wins over Central Queensland, Brisbane City and Sunshine Coast respectively.
For the Men’s Under 20 side, it was a smooth ride through to the finals series after big defeats of Brisbane City, South Queensland and Sunshine Coast in the round games. Their only competition came in round three, when they drew 9-all with eventual finalists Central Queensland.
Coach Nick Pecchiar said he wasn’t at all surprised by the boy’s performance.
“It’s been something we’ve been working towards for a long time. Most of the boys have been together since Under 14’s and we’ve worked hard over the last years to get to where we are.”
“There was some great individual brilliance out there, particularly from Andrew [Searle] who was named Player of the Final, but they also played so well as a team and in the end that made all the difference.”
Searle wasn’t the only player to take home the award. Men’s 30’s player Riki Best and Men’s 55’s John Pattison were also named Player of the Final in their respective divisions.
The accolades didn’t stop there, with twenty-nine players selected into the Queensland sides to take on New South Wales at this year’s State of Origin Touch Football series in September.
It’s one of the largest contingents of North Queensland players to be selected for the series and North Queensland Touch Association Executive Officer, Billy Grant, could not be prouder.
“It’s great to see so many (North Queensland players) named in the teams. Their hard work and commitment is paying off.”
“It’s often overlooked that our region covers the largest land area in the state, and it means that our players have to travel long distances just to be able to attend a single training session.”
Next on the cards for the North Queensland Cyclones sides is the 2015 National Touch League, to be held in Coffs Harbour, NSW, in March.
Final team placing’s:
Men’s Open – 2nd, Men’s 20 – 1st, Women’s Open – 4th, Men’s 40 – 4th, Men’s 55 – 1st, Women’s 35 – 4th, Women’s 27 – 2nd, Men’s 30 – 1st, Women’s 20 – 6th
Players selected for State of Origin:
Men's Open – Michael Law, Theo Majid, Lachlan Pierce, Shaun Francis
Mixed Open – Kelly Kennedy
Men's 20s – Andrew Searle, Michael Fallon
Men's 30s – Joel Pollock, Scott Prince, Ralph Hickman
Men's 35s – Col Beckitt, Steve Prince, David Walsh
Women's 30s – Jasmine Best, Zara Hartley
Women's 35s – Allison Bessell
Men's 40s – Craig Green, Jason Pierce, Brian Knight, Craig Hookey
Women's 40s – Lee Nolan
Men's 45s – Michael Wilkins, Peter Murray, Frank Beer
Men's 55s – Michael Linnan, Brian Prove, John Pattison, Frank Stampa, Ian Kerr