Tuesday, February 19, 2013

The sun has set on the 2013 Be Active WA State Championships with a thrilling final day of Touch Football action.

In very blustery conditions, teams across seven divisions controlled their nerve (and passing) to qualify for a massive afternoon of finals action which was commenced by the Men’s 40’s division where Southern Stars defeated Northern Districts to claim the championship.

Southern Stars also featured in the Women’s 35’s final but it was the Wanneroo Lions who proved too strong winning the Women’s 35s division in style.

In the Men’s 30’s division, Northern Districts were the standout side all tournament and they capped off their weekend with an emphatic 7-1 victory over Tompkins Park in the grand final, whilst in the Women’s 27’s final it was a much closer affair, with Rosalie Razorbacks coming from behind late in the game over Perth Brothers 6-5 to secure the title.

The Mixed Open was the largest division on offer at these championships with 14 teams participating however there were two standout teams that made the final with Tompkins Park battling Perth Brothers for the prize. The final lived up to all expectations in a seesawing affair, however it was Tompkins Park who were ahead when it counted, claiming victory by one touchdown (10-9) to take home the silverware.

In the Women’s Open division, Northern Districts were the hot favourites going into the match after solid performances in the semi-finals and minor rounds, however Southern Districts were also quietly going about their business. In a frantic first half, both Northern and Southern traded blows with the Stars going into the half-time break 4-3 up. The Northern girls seemed to have rallied in the break scoring the first touchdown of the second half to level the match at 4-all, but any ideas of a Northern comeback were quickly put to rest with the Southern Stars amassing seven second-half touchdowns to run away comfortable winners and claim the Women’s Open crown 11-5.

The crowd could have been mistaken thinking they were in New Zealand for the Men’s Open final with plenty of kiwi talent on show in both sides representing Wanneroo and Perth Brothers. The anticipation of this match was huge with both sides being the teams to watch and beat in the minor rounds.

The players certainly delivered and the crowd was treated to an enthralling contest with plenty of steps and long balls creating numerous touchdowns. At the half-time break, it was Wanneroo with a slight advantage leading Brothers 5-4. The second half was a much tighter contest with both sides answering each other’s scores but it was Wanneroo that always maintained the slight advantage of one touchdown, and when the final siren sounded on the 2013 Be Active WA State Championships it was Wanneroo leading Perth Brothers 9-8, which saw the Lions claim the Men’s Open championship and atone for their 2011 final defeat.

In what was a very even event with numerous affiliates winning titles across all seven divisions, determining the overall champion affiliate was going to be tight however with teams performing consistently across most divisions the Southern Districts Touch Association were named Champion Club for 2013.

A big congratulations must also go Chris Schwert who was awarded Leading Referee of the Tournament, Justin Parsons who was named Referee of the Tournament and Peter Hick who claimed the Most Improved Referee award.

Touch Football WA would like to congratulate all participants, referees and officials for making the 2013 Be Active WA State Championships so successful.