Tamworth is one of 19 teams in the five pools contesting the boys’ titles at the South and West War Memorial Pool, Scully Park.

The Tamworth girls are over town at the Tamworth City Pool in a major championship which is attracting a record 38 teams and an estimated 1000 people to the city.

Teams are coming from Sydney (Cronulla, Northern Beaches, Sydney Uni, UNSW Wests, Balmain, Ryde, Drummoyne, Macquarie Uni and Parramatta), Newcastle and Central Coast, Albury, Wagga, Alstonville and the ACT.

From these championships an Under 14 state squad will be selected for both the boys and the girls from which two state teams (Blues and Waratahs) will be chosen to compete in the East Coast Challenge to be held in the July holidays.

There will also be an U13 state development squad chosen for the boys and the girls and these players will be attending a specialist intensive training weekend in Sydney later inthe year.

Richard and Chris “Rusty” Mihell are in charge of the boys’ side but, with Richard away with work, assistant coach Rusty has had “a lot of assisting”.

“They’ve been training for three months,” he said.

“A couple of times a week and playing a couple of games as well.

“They’ve been playing in the Under 16 schools comp.

“It’s been great for them playing bigger boys with more skills.

“They’ve been able to learn off them.

“And they have come along really well.

“I haven’t coached a junior side before and it’s been been really rewarding for me Just to see their skill level and knowledge of the game improve.

“But they are a good bunch of kids, train hard and listen to what you say.

“They’re sponges – soak up everything.”

He said most of the side played last year as a “young side” and he expected them to be competitive in a carnival that is “getting bigger and bigger every year”.