Future is Bright for Young Saints Stars

Townsville's representative touch football future is in great hands, with Saints teams showing they can match it with Queensland's best at the recent State Cup.

Townsville Touch Football took four strong, talented teams to the event, playing for the first time under the new moniker - the Saints.

The teams performed exceptionally well, with Women’s 20 (Blue) and Men’s 20 both making it through to their respective grand finals, while both Men’s Premier and Womens 20 (Green) just missed out on a place in the finals series.

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Men's 20 Coach, Kevin Hunter, spoke very highly of his players.

"We came so close and I couldn't be prouder of the boys. After losing 5 tries to 6 in the grand final against Toowoomba, they held their heads high."

Three games, one after the other, made it a tough ask for the team, being required to push quarter-final opponents Rockhampton into extra time.

Hunter is already thinking about next year and is excited to know that many of the boys are still eligible to play in the Under 20's division.

The future also looks very bright for Townsville's Women’s 20 sides according to coaches Anita Hagarty and Jason Buczynsky.

Hagarty was all compliments about her side's (Women's 20, Saints Blue) performance, highlighting two games in particular that stood out from the rest.

"We went through pool games with three wins, and managed a draw against eventual winners Gold Coast."

One of those wins was against touch football powerhouse Rockhampton, with the Saints Blue side putting in a tremendous performance to walk away 8-1 victors.

"The 5-all game against Gold Coast during the pool match was very memorable. The discipline and teamwork displayed by the girls was what almost won us that game."

Buczynsky, coach of the Saints Green Women's 20 side, highlighted that the performance of his team should not be undermined.

A strong pool that included the likes of Brisbane Metropolitan, Rockhampton, Palm Beach, and Redlands was always going to be tough for the relatively young side.

"The team was made up of players from five different clubs with very little game time together prior to the event."

"We had a great start to the event, finishing 2-all against Redlands in the first pool game, but the girls saved their best work for last."

"The 6-nil playoff match against Caloundra was by far our best result and a great way to finish the event. The girls played with heart and determination and often had to defend for long periods of time. It was a game we'll remember for a long time."

Saints Open Men's Premier side were made up of some of the best players in Queensland, with Coach Pecchiar excited by the talent in the team and hopeful of a strong performance.

"Most pool games were won and lost by only one or two points, and the boys were considerably unlucky not to make finals."

"You need everything to go your way from the start. The first pool game against Rockhampton saw us come home strong but three early tries to Rockhampton cost us the win."

Rockhampton were eventual champions in the Open Men's Premier division.

"Any one of the seven teams could have won it," Pecchiar said.

"All we can do now is reflect, remember the many highlights, and focus on 2021."

With the touch football season now nearing a close, representative players will get a much needed break before returning to training early next year in the lead-up to the National Touch League, with many Saints players getting the call-up to the recently announced North Queensland Cyclones squads.