Titans among NRL Touch Premiership clubs revealed

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26-04-18, 02:22 PM
DIEHARD

Titans among NRL Touch Premiership clubs revealed

Six NRL Touch Premiership clubs revealed
http://www.nrl.com

The Parramatta Eels, Wests Tigers, Newcastle Knights, Gold Coast Titans, Brisbane Broncos and North Queensland Cowboys will field teams in a new NRL Touch Premiership to be played this year.

Each club will have two teams – a women's and men's – playing in the tournament adding up to 12 NRL Touch teams in total.

Both men's and women's games will be 30 minutes in length and will be played prior to the main Telstra Premiership game, starting on Friday May 18. The touch games will be broadcast nationally, in a mix of live and delayed times.

"We're grateful for the support these clubs are giving the teams and the Premiership, and we believe it will be exciting for young touch players in these clubs' regions to see the sports come together and to realise that they can aspire to play either elite rugby league or elite touch football," Touch Football Australia CEO Steve Mitchell said.

"These players, both male and female, have been playing touch football non-stop since they were five or so, and the speed, the agility and the skill level is just phenomenal.

"Touch football is Australia's largest social sport, so it's not generally considered a spectator sport, but everyone who gets the chance to witness the elite level of the game is in awe of how entertaining it is to watch.

"We've seen so many touch football players – from Benji Marshall to Kalyn Ponga, Bevan French, Matt Dufty and Maddie Studdon, for instance – move from touch football into the NRL. So we're excited about giving our touch players a tournament that allows them to showcase their skills in this sport on a national stage."

TFA launches NRL Touch Premiership

There are currently almost 4,000 touch football players within the Parramatta catchment, and Eels CEO Bernie Gurr said it was great to give players a tournament to showcase their talent.

"As a club we are a strong supporter of touch football both as a contributor to the development of our players, such as Bevan French, and as an important avenue for our members and fans to stay involved in rugby league."

Knights CEO Philip Gardner said touch players now had the opportunity to play at McDonald Jones Stadium in front of red and blue supporters.

"We are proud to be part of the inaugural Touch Premiership," Gardner said.

"Touch is a very important pathway into rugby league, and we believe the more people we can encourage to play touch or rugby league in the region the better.

"The decline in rugby league participation levels has been well documented and bringing touch into the NRL fold is a step towards addressing that," he said.

Cowboys legend and Touch Football Australia board member Brent Tate said it was a massive coup for the Townsville region to have sides included in the inaugural competition.

"Touch football is a hugely popular sport in our region so I am thrilled we will have a presence in the first ever edition of the NRL Touch Premiership," Tate said.

"This competition is a fantastic innovation, which will help grow the game of touch football not just in North Queensland, but nationwide."
26-04-18, 02:40 PM
Mr Bods

^^^ as i put in the Well Being Thread I cant believe we Have come to this.
From the days of watching 3 grades of men playing Footy
To
The defensive rubbish of Under 20s
To
Now the curtain raiser being a game of friggin touch

I’m absolutely appalled
26-04-18, 02:44 PM
DIEHARD

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr Bods

^^^ as i put in the Well Being Thread I cant believe we Have come to this.
From the days of watching 3 grades of men playing Footy
To
The defensive rubbish of Under 20s
To
Now the curtain raiser being a game of friggin touch

I’m absolutely appalled

I'm all for touch footy. But on game day? No way. I don't think Touch is fun to watch as it is to play. And I believe that OzTag is superior.

In times when we are trying to offer more value for fans to come to a game, we offer not another rugby league game, but a touch football game? And I am surprised that it is televised. Will people watch it?
26-04-18, 03:41 PM
Titanic

Bodsie, so right ... I’m disgusted, it will bring exactly the numbers playing and they’ll all have passes ... disgraceful.
27-04-18, 08:19 AM
5 Year Contract

Elgey to captain the touch team. Thank you, thank you ill be here all night
27-04-18, 04:52 PM
DavidBouveng

i think its an awesome move. touch has one of the highest participation levels across boys and girls AND men and women and many of them like league, but this will help it further.

AFL wish they had this type of crossover sport to help them out. I think it will end up more valuable to League than the Women's comp, or the AFLW comp for the AFL.

does it need to be on game day? not forever, once it can stand alone that's fine but for now it will be a good thing.
27-04-18, 07:07 PM
Mexican titan

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr Bods

^^^ as i put in the Well Being Thread I cant believe we Have come to this.
From the days of watching 3 grades of men playing Footy
To
The defensive rubbish of Under 20s
To
Now the curtain raiser being a game of friggin touch

I’m absolutely appalled

I agree Bods, what a joke. I played touch for years and it was great but it's monotonous andas boring as hell to watch. Never thought I'd say bring back the under 20's.
27-04-18, 08:26 PM
DIEHARD

Quote:

Originally Posted by DavidBouveng

does it need to be on game day? not forever, once it can stand alone that's fine but for now it will be a good thing.

I agree. Now and then, I'd hate to see it regular on game days. I still don't believe there is much of a TV audience for it though. But would love to be proved wrong.

Huge strategic move for RL. Happy to see it happen.

Touch is a gigantic sport and many people who play it offer a new market for Rugby League.
19-05-18, 12:57 PM
DIEHARD

Gold Coast Titans ready for NRL Touch Premiership opener against Cowboys in Townsville

http://www.titansupporters.com/wp-co...18/05/19.3.jpg

http://www.titansupporters.com/wp-co...18/05/19.4.jpg

GOLD Coast Titans touch footballers Sammy-Jo Curtis and Peter Norman have hailed today as a landmark day for their sport.
The Titans will play their first games in the inaugural NRL Touch Premiership, taking on the Cowboys in Townsville in 3.05pm and 3.55pm kick-offs for the men’s and women’s competitions.

“It’s a massive step,” Curtis, 22, said.

“We have never really got to play on this platform before and get this kind of exposure so as far as the sport as a whole it is exciting but individually for all of the players it is massive as well.”

Norman described the competition, which will be decided in a Cbus Super Stadium grand final on July 29, as the first step towards making touch a professional code.

“It is fully funded, fully broadcast on Fox Sports and we’re getting to play on big rugby league stadiums right before an NRL game so hopefully there is a bit of a crowd as well,” he said.

“Touch football is such a massive participation-based sport.

“But instead of our players using it as a pathway to progress into rugby league like Kalyn Ponga or Shaun Johnson or Benji Marshall, even Ash Taylor, now especially for the women there is a pathway to hopefully become an elite sport and maybe even one day make a living out of it.”

The 27-year-old has played touch since the age of five and can’t wait to represent the Titans.

“I played Titans under-20s and then obviously went full circle back to touch football,” he said.

“And out of all the affiliates with the rugby league clubs, the Titans have always been the ones that are most willing to give back to touch football.”

http://www.gcbulletin.com.au
14-07-18, 05:00 AM
DIEHARD

Gold Coast Titans touch football team needing to beat North Queensland Cowboys by five tries
https://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au/

THE Gold Coast Titans men’s side will be looking to put North Queensland to the sword to book a spot in the NRL Touch Premiership finals series.

The Titans need to win by a margin of at least five tries against the Cowboys in the 4.45pm tap-off tomorrow at Cbus Super Stadium, which will form part of the curtain-raiser to the NRL club’s Round 18 home match against the Roosters.

The women’s Titans side will start their match against the Broncos at 5.15pm.

“It’s pretty much on us if we want to make the final,” men’s captain Peter Norman said.

“It’ll be a tough task in a 30-minute game but we can do our best … we need to stop them first and then we can concentrate on the five we need to score.”

Women’s side: Marikki Watego (c), Sammy-Jo Curtis, Rebecca Mimi, Marama Thomas, Georgie Rackermann, Belinda Hammett, Tarryn Aiken, Emily Ward, Taylah Connell, Paije Hockings, Lucia Fildes, Sharni Vilila, Tiarni Bryce. Reserves: Leesa Mimi, Ashley Kearney, Brit Donovan, Kayla Mimi.

Men’s side: Peter Norman (c), Tom Maher, Corey Russell, Jimmy De Veer, Brad Russell, Adam Pryde, Tristan Wagg, Michael Singh, Dave Maher, Wayne Unawai, Graeme Clancy, Kingston Lamberg. Reserves: Lewis McAllister, Jayden Fielding-Smith, Tyler Ward, Jakob Hall.