The revival of the Tamworth & District Minor League representative side has been a success on and off the field.
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For the last three years the now under-12s side have been developing their games under the tutelage of Peter Driscoll and Nathan Hamlin.
“Since we got the kids three years ago we’ve seen significant improvement in their skills,” Driscoll said.
After falling away for a few years, the concept was revived a few years ago by the then TDML president Neil Constable. From there Driscoll and Hamlin jumped on board, and with the assistance of Tom Learoyd-Lahrs, Jamie Southwell and Matt Durrant have brought Constable’s idea to fruition.
“We saw the kids really enjoyed it. We thought if we can make a go of it we thought we might be able to do something with this,” Driscoll said.
This year was their last in the TDML colours.
Next year they graduate to the Group 4 system.
They capped off their time together with a 100 per cent record in 2018, winning all three games they played.
In July they travelled down to Sydney to tackle the North Sydney under-12s.
Playing as a curtain raiser to the Bears’ Intrust Super Premiership clash against the Newcastle Knights at North Sydney Oval for the Matt Toshack Trophy, the Tamworth boys triumphed to retain the silverware they won 32-20 last year.
Then in October they ventured up north to Kingscliff where they played Murwillimbah and Cudgen, winning both games convincingly.
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Inbetween trips they met up for training every two-three weeks, traveling over to Gunnedah for sessions, with a few local boys there involved in the squad.
“It’s all about development at the moment and doing the right things on the training paddock, and they’re doing that,” Driscoll said, adding that you notice when you put them into a higher level game, they lift.
He said they try to mirror what “the big boys do in Sydney” putting them ‘in camp’ when they go away. As well as building good camaraderie it also gives them a bit of a taste of what it is like playing professionally.
They have been fortunate to pick up a couple of sponsors in Metroll and Daisy’s Water Carriers in Gunnedah which has helped out financially.
