THEY are trailblazers. Teenage basketballers who will enter Tamworth’s name in a country club national tournament for the first time in Brisbane from next Sunday.
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They are the Tamworth Thunderbolt Under 14 girls, nine Tamworth girls plus Moss Vale’s Pheobe Johnson, a 1.8m high centre, who joined the Thunderbolts for this season’s Country Premier League (CPL) .
It was the first time a Tamworth Thunderbolt junior side had entered in the CPL, an elite competition in which they finished third to Newcastle Hunters and Canberra.
The top two teams from the CPL earned a start in the Basketball Australia Under 14 Girls’ Club Nationals but, as Canberra qualified as the ACT’s team for the nationals, it allowed the Tamworth Thunderbolts a chance to play in the 24-team national championship.
“It’s the first time a Tamworth team has qualified for a national club championships,” co-coach John Ireland said at last Saturday’s latest scrimmage.
“We’re one of four NSW teams, two from metro (Manly Sea Eagles and North Bears) and two from the CPL.
“We almost rolled Manly at the State Championships in Maitland too.
“They beat us by 10 but it was only scoreboard pressure that beat us.”
Tamworth finished seventh in the State Championships at Maitland in a year that has been a huge development season for the side coached by Greg O’Toole and Ireland.
The two coaches gave their young side a couple of weeks “off” after those State Championships and CPL commitments to “recharge their batteries”.
“They’ve trained well,” O’Toole said.
“If anything, they’ve shot the ball well – that’s been very pleasing.
“But just to see the growth in their game over the year has been the most pleasing thing.
“It’s been real interesting and a pleasure to watch.”
While the side has performed above expectations by finishing third in the CPL and seventh in the State Championships, they have improved individually as well as a team.
“A number of them were also in the McCarthy Year 7/8 side that won their Combined Catholic Colleges State title too,” Ireland said.
“Scott Krug coached them to win that at Penrith.
“But the girls have come back from their break refreshed.
“Training has been intense and of a high quality.
“The girls really have jumped up another level.”
The Thunderbolts have drawn Bendigo Braves, South Australia Mavericks and North West Tasmania Thunder.
“There’s bit of a storm brewing for that game against the Thunder,” I reland joked on Saturday.
“But no Tamworth side has ever gone to the club nationals.
“ We’ve had individuals like Taylor Skelton and Nick Kay play but this is the first time a Tamworth side has taken on the best teams in Australia.
“It can only be good for our junior development program and a good opportunity to see where we are.”
