SCHOOL’S IN SESSION FOR CUP
FOR a shot at statewide supremacy, Townsville’s youngest Aussie rules prospects are eagerly awaiting competition to get under way.
The Streetssmarts AFLQ Schools Cup will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday this week. All the action will be live streamed online at the Townsville Bulletin.
Local outfit Ryan Catholic College
will enter the North Queensland primary girls competition tomorrow as a strong chance to advance to the statewide phase of the tournament. Its AFL Excellence program has left it in a strong position.
Victorious schools from the primary and senior boys and girls contests will then head to the Sunshine Coast, where the best teams from each region will battle it out. But for AFL Queensland’s
Townsville development lead Joel Newman, the concept is about more than identifying the next generation.
The likes of Thuringowa ace and Gold Coast Suns Academy gun Dan Murtha have only just begun their careers with the Sherrin, despite having backgrounds in rival codes.
Newman said this competition was the chance to unearth fresh talent that is yet to discover a passion for the sport.
“A lot of what our cups are about is giving kids the chance who haven’t played footy to play,” he said.
“We love the competition to see which schools are the elite ones across the state, but from a Townsville level it gives us the opportunity to get some rugby league or basketball players who haven’t had the opportunity to have a crack at footy.
“Sometimes they don’t know they love AFL until they play it, so really it’s that first touch point of AFL to a lot of kids.
“We find a few of those talented kids to have a taste and more often than not they love it. It’s about being able to find those talented kids from other sports and give them an opportunity to play, then hopefully get them playing full-time.”
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