Teamwork and talent prevails
Tokoroa touch players stormed out the competition after a whole team was selected for the Bay of Plenty Touch Under 9s mixed elite.
The team made up of 7 and 8 year- olds competed for a spot on the team.
Teams for the Bay of Plenty are usually made of players from throughout the region.
But it was the teamwork and talent that won it for them, according to manager Nicole Putoko. ‘‘I think the reason they did was so well is because everyone was based here they all bonded so well.’’
‘‘By the end they were just really good friends.’’
Since their selection success quickly followed for the 13 players.
They went on to win their grade against seven other teams in the Under 9-Under 13 Northern Junior IPS Tournament.
The win was down to a vigorous training schedule of up to three times a week.
And it certainly wasn’t any easy task.
‘‘ Because it was school holidays they missed out on a a lot and a lot of parents didn’t get to go away.’’
However, it all paid off in the end, not just with a win, but an immense improvement as well.
Their score of 8-3 in the finals proved it, she said.
‘‘Just from that score, you know they trained so hard to get to that level.’’
‘‘We’re just really proud of the little team because they’re from Tokoroa and there’s so much talented kids in Tokoroa.’’
Olo Petero and Maia Putoko also won most valuable players in their grade.