Deakin Fields witnessed some exciting Touch Football action with a twist over the weekend of Saturday, 12 January and Sunday, 13 January, with the inaugural Deaf Touch Football Australia National Championships taking place.
All the players were deaf and cannot hear the whistle or the calls from their team members, which made for some very interesting tactics in communications between players and from the referees to the players.
Queensland dominated the Women’s division and faced some tough games from New South Wales in the Mixed and from ACT in the Men’s. The home team challenged Queensland in the Men’s grand final which saw a great game of attacking Touch Football in a 9-6 win which was witnessed by over 200 spectators. The grand finals of the Men’s and Mixed divisions featured a unique four referee structure to ensure consistent communications and free flowing matches. It also featured two deaf referees, being Matt Shannon and Jonathon Powyer, who both also played for New South Wales in the round matches.
New South Wales in the Women’s division remained scoreless, however it was not for want of trying as the speed of the Queensland girls was too much, while New South Wales was not assisted by the unlucky run of injuries that occurred before and during the tournament. It is for certain next time, New South Wales will have some luck on their side.
In the Mixed, New South Wales found themselves overrun by the impressive Queensland team however put on some show of talent to keep in the hunt in both of their round matches. It was the two Queensland teams that dominated this division which demonstrated their strength in Deaf Touch Football.
The Men’s division was competitive, however for New South Wales Central Coast the preparations were marked by the withdrawal of four key players who all fell to injuries in the local Central Coast competition. Central Coast showed glimpse of talent with their limited playing numbers and what may have been. New South Wales ‘A’ finished in third position after a strong challenge in the semi final against ACT which at one stage could have gone either way. It was only a few missed chances that left New South Wa;es wondering if the score line could have been closer against a disciplined ACT side. ACT came into the tournament looking to show the larger states their improved form and were rewarded through dominant displays against New South Wales and New South Wales Central Coast, and two highly competitive matches against the eventual winners Queensland. The Queensland Men’s team demonstrated why they are the best Deaf Touch Football state in Australia, with displays of attacking moves throughout the tournament that saw some classy touchdowns.
The Most Valuable Players (MVP) of the tournament were Queensland’s Tegan Blanch, in the Women’s division, New South Wales’ Matt Shannon, in the Mixed and ACT’s Greg Quinn, in the Men’s division. All MVP’s were determined by votes from the referees and the captains after each game. Several Queensland and New South Wales Men’s players were close in the votes which demonstrated talent throughout the teams.
Now towards the future, the next tournament will be determined by the end of February 2013, along with plans to put an Australian Deaf Men’s and Mixed team in the 2014 National Touch League. As one keen spectator quoted at the conclusion of the weekend “it has just got started!”
For more information about the event, please visit the following website:
http://www.sportingpulse.com/assoc_page.cgi?assoc=9325&pID=14
Related Links
- Deaf Touch Nationals
