After an almighty successful stint in the Junior Touch Football State Cup at Wagga Wagga recently, Mudgee Mudcrabs will send their under 10s girls clan off to the State Finals this Saturday.
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Having 10 months of training up their sleeves paid dividends for their performances, but it wasn't only their lengthy training that made the difference, but also the squad's attitude towards the sport.
"I knew the girls would do really well but the level of commitment and hard efforts of training was evident in how they played. We were all shocked with making the top four even though we knew they had the ability to do so," under 10s coach, Erin Perini said.
"It's proved to the girls if you work hard for something it is achievable. We may have shed some tears when the buzzer went off, I honestly couldn't be more proud of the girls."
The under 10s went toe-to-toe with Orange and won 2-0 followed up by a 9-0 slump to Cronulla, only to pick themselves up again and upset Wollongong with a 8-0 scoreboard.
LBM Rangers were the next victims who suffered a 3-2 loss against the Mudcrabs, while the Mudgee clan went on to defeat Parramatta 5-0.
Up against the Hills Hornets, the girls won 5-4 but fell to Wagga in the semi but ranked in the top four.
This [10 month training period] also gave them the confidence on the field and most importantly, made them believe in themselves.
- Mudgee Mudcrabs under 10s girls coach, Erin Perini
However, the under 10s weren't alone at the Wagga competition, they were accompanied by their under 8s counterparts who fell just short of making the State Finals after some stellar wins against Leeton (13-1) Penrith (7-2), Parramatta (5-3) and Balmain (4-2), but managed to rank in the top four also.
"It is a huge achievement to do so well at the State Cup. It is unknown when the last time a team from Mudgee achieved this result [top four] let alone two teams," Perini said.
"These girls [under 8s] were extremely unlucky in not making the grand final.
"The under 8 girls would be right alongside us but NSW touch only do state finals for age groups 10 to 18 years."
The under 10s girls Mudgee Mudcrabs will head to Werrington on March 7 to compete in the NSW Touch Football State Cup Finals.
I am very excited to see all these girls grow and become more confident, make more friends and see where they are in a few years. The future of Mudgee Touch is looking very promising.
- Erin Perini
Jay-Anna Sleeman
Reporter for the Western Advocate. First began as a sports journalist with ACM in 2018 before moving on to cover news and court.
Reporter for the Western Advocate. First began as a sports journalist with ACM in 2018 before moving on to cover news and court.
