Young touch players from Katherine will play against the strongest competition they have faced at the Australian Schools Championships in Hobart next week.
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The group of 10 U15 players from Katherine South Primary School and Katherine High School were selected from hundreds of players in the region to represent the NT.
Heading off this Friday for one week, the players will compete against some of the best of the best from other states.
Katherine South Primary School teacher, Tim East has been coaching the players for the past 15 weeks to save the players multiple trips to Darwin to train with the representative team.
“[The Australian Schools Championships] is a strong competition,” he said.
“The Queensland, New South Wales teams always dominate, so it will be a good learning curve.”
The sheer number of Katherine players selected for the NT representative team proves the strength of the players and the coaching.
“Despite being the fourth fourth largest town in the Territory we are constantly producing the best athletes,” Mr East said.
“Some of these kids have been doing coaching and reffing courses to up skill which just shows how dedicated they are,” he said.
Charlie McWhirter is the youngest Katherine player to be selected to represent the NT.
At only 10 years old she has the rare opportunity of being exposed to Australian wide competition.
“I think its a big opportunity, I am the youngest of everyone going,” she said.
She said she was looking forward to being with the team and seeing snow… if there is any.
Interstate sport trips are notoriously expensive, and the young players have been pounding the pavement to raise funds.
In just three months the players and their parents have raised more than $9000.
“There has been a lot of support,” Madonna Wuttke said.
“$2000 was donated by Vista Gold, and we raised about $1500 from meat trays donated by Town and Country Butchers.
“We are very thankful to the local community for their sponsorship and support,” she said.
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