'Awesome little players' earn Eagles honours: 'I just want to learn from it'

The 13-year-old didn't feel he'd played at his best, and thought selection in the Northern Eagles squad was a long shot.

But he is a naturally talented and hardworking young player, and impressed the selectors nonetheless. So when he saw his name on the team sheet, he was "pretty excited".

Crough was one of four Tamworth Touch Association juniors, alongside Stella Walsh (under 12s girls), Lucas Aylett (under 12s boys), and Daniel Rushbrook (under 16s boys) to have been named in the Eagles squads at the conclusion of the competition.

That these four in particular earned the right to vie for a place at the junior nationals in Coffs Harbour later this year came as no surprise to TTA junior representative coordinator, Ben Wynn.

"They're fantastic," Wynn said.

"They're awesome little players, and they deserved it."

Walsh, Aylett, and Crough all represented the Tamworth Titans at the State Cup, but Rushbrook, who lives in Tamworth and grew up playing in the local competition, represented Gunnedah as the Titans did not have an under 16s side.

To have four kids from Tamworth in the Eagles squads was a good start, Wynn said, and he expects that number to balloon in the years to come.

"These particular kids definitely would have selected themselves," he said.

"There's probably a few other kids that would have been selected had they made themselves available, it's a pretty big commitment, getting over to Coffs Harbour for training.

"It's a good reflection on where we're going, and I anticipate hopefully over the coming years that those numbers will easily quadruple, if not more."

Having played the sport since kindergarten, when he and his mates got into it, Crough (who also plays league and is a fan of Wests Tigers) said Matt Nean is the touch player he looks up to the most.

And with his first selection in an Eagles side, he can't wait to soak in the atmosphere of nationals.

"I just want to learn from it and have some fun," Crough said.

That, Wynn emphasised, should be the goal for all four of the kids.

"It's a huge step up. They'll be able to see touch played at a faster pace than they're already used to at a local level," he said.

"These are the best teams in the nation coming together, representing their regions ... they'll also get outstanding coaching. So they'll come back much better players again, and that'll permeate through the rest of the club."