Darling Downs under-12 touch footballers star in championships

The newest Darling Downs under-12 boys touch football squad wrote another chapter in their brilliant history. Here’s why we think they are among the best in Queensland.

The 2021 Darling Downs under-12 touch football team at the state championships in Townsville.

TOUCH FOOTBALL: As far as form teams go you’d be hard pressed to find any better than the Darling Downs under-12 boys touch footballers.

The young side’s recent clash with Capricornia was their fifth appearance in the last six grand finals.

Unfortunately, they were beaten 5-2 in this year’s decider but coach Al Aston had high praise for his side.

“Out of the five championships we’ve played in recently this one was the toughest,” he said.

“The boys played fantastically but I think by the end of it they were cooked, it was 36 degrees in Townsville.

“They played their hearts out to get to the final and were beaten by a better Capricornia side.”

Ashton has been involved with Darling Downs school touch for more than 10 years and has been coach of the U12 boys for the past five.

He puts the team’s success down to two things – great kids and equally great parents.

“We’ve been lucky enough to have a fantastic parent groups the last few years,” Aston said.

“We’ve got kids from all over the region in the side and the parents are dedicated – driving them to training sessions and games and have instilled a really great work ethic in their kids.

“It makes my job a lot easier when the kids have the right attitude and approach.

“I teach them a few basic technical points, talk about how we want to play and then basically point them in the right direction.”

Darling Downs under-12 touch football coach Al Aston (second from right) congratulates Junior Patterson, Nate Scott and Lachlan Hillman on their Queensland squad selection.

Junior Patterson, Nate Scott and Lachlan Hillman were named in the Queensland U12 boys squad after the championships.

Junior Patterson: His attack is fantastic,” Aston said.

“He has this ability to trick opposition defenders because he’s deceptively quick. They (defenders) feel like they’ve got him covered and then he hits that extra gear. He’s a great passer of the ball as well.”

Nate Scott: “His defence is something else. He shoots out of line to cover the roll ball at every opportunity and his work rate is phenomenal.”

Lachlan Hillman: “Like Nate, Lachlan’s work rate is fantastic and he’s very fit, one of the fittest kids I’ve worked with. His running out of dummy half is a real asset. The other great thing about him is his willingness to learn and improve. He identifies areas he can improve and asks all the right questions.”