COURTESY of PORT NEWS
Mackillop College and St Joseph’s Regional College from Port Macquarie have progressed to the next stage of the year 7 and 8 All-Schools touch football carnival.
Mackillop’s boys team proved too good for Macksville in a 5-1 victory in Wednesday afternoon’s final (June 2) to cap off an undefeated day where they won six from six and scored an impressive 37 tries.
St Joey’s outclassed Taree’s St Clare’s High School 5-0 in the girl’s decider to round out a day where they won all their matches.
The carnival was held in Port Macquarie under a new concept which NSW Touch Football game development officer Luke Saldern said was a way of increasing the numbers.
“It makes the competition a little more fierce because we’ve gone from our 36 regional events in the past down to just six this year,” he said.
“The result of that saw schools come from Inverell, Macksville and Taree as well as our regular schools from Port Macquarie.
“They have the opportunity to play against each other whereas in the past they haven’t.”
Other carnivals around the state have already been held in Orange and Wagga Wagga with the metropolitan schools to battle it out at Penrith next week.
They then round out the series up at Ballina.
“A top two will progress to the national schools cup, but this year we’re waiting to hear from the national body to see what happens about schools not being able to attend national events after COVID,” Mr Saldern said.
“Depending on that will depend on the progression for this year, but moving forward there will be a progression event.”
Mr Saldern said it was exciting to see schools from other parts of the state head to the home of touch football.
“It is a surprise, but it’s exciting,” he said.
“We definitely didn’t expect schools to travel from as far as Inverell or Macksville, but the fact they’ve come to Port Macquarie – the beautiful home of the touch football events – is great and we’re really excited to have them all here.”
The year 9/10 boys and girls divisions will take place at Tuffins Lane tomorrow (June 3).
