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AllFlying | Watkins
rising to the top
Touch
Football is fast becoming one of the most popular sports in Australia. When Bree
Watkins took up the game for fun as a 14-year old she never thought she would
progress so far. Stephen Ritchie explains...
 Eight
years ago the sport teachers at Thornbury Darebin Secondary College in Melbourne
were looking for males and females to enter a team in the Victorian Schools Touch
Competition. With the popularity of AFL here, many of the students didn't have
any knowledge on the game of touch football. However, the then 14-year old Bree
Watkins took up the challenge just to see what it was like. Little did she know
that a few years later she would be playing state touch for Victoria.
Bree
first started out her touch career in high school, representing Victoria in 1997,
1999 and 2000 in under-16s and 18s. From there she played club touch with various
teams, before moving to La Trobe, whilst studying an arts degree.
In 2004,
Bree reached the pinnacle of her touch career, representing Victoria in the under-23
women's team which competed at the Australia Cup in Melbourne, last October. For
Bree, this was the career defining moment. "The Australia Cup was an amazing experience
as the younger, more inexperienced players were given exposure to a high level
of touch," she said.
She played every game and, despite the team finishing
in eighth place,made the most of the opportunities she had been given. "My confidence
grew enormously as I became more involved in the game as the competition wore
on," she said. "Initially, I was on the wings and I didn't do all that much, but
my coaches encouraged me to move into the link and middle positions, allowing
me to develop my game and take more of a leadership role."
"One of the most
valuable lessons I learnt from the Australia Cup was discipline. When you're playing
that level of touch you can't afford to become complacent. So it taught me to
do the basics and mostly that was more effective than trying to be too adventurous,"
Bree said.
The hard work payed off for Bree as she received the Coaches'
Award at the end of the tournament. "That was a great highlight for me because
some of the girls I played with were more experienced. But once I got more involved
in the game I really benefited from that as it too gave me the experience I needed
to compete at that level of touch."
Earlier this year Bree was encouraged
to trial for the Victorian Women's Open Team to play in the Border Challenge and
Canberra Cup, however, due to work commitments, Bree couldn't attend. Bree is
now going to focus on making the squad for next year as there are no more opportunities
to trial for the open's team again this year.
Bree is now working towards
playing opens touch for Victoria, but she recognised that she would have to work
really hard if she is to achieve her goal. "I have to improve my fitness if I
intend on playing opens in the next year or two. Also, I have to get over the
mental hurdle of intimidation that comes with playing the highest level of touch
in this state. At times it can be quite daunting playing against such experienced
and talented girls, but if I can get over that then I'm sure it will bring the
best out in myself and more importantly, my game," Bree said.
One of Bree's
inspirations is Derrick Cant, a fellow touch player who has represented the Crusaders
(opens men's and mixed touch) at various stages since he was 18. "Des has been
really good to me because he is always encouraging me to be the best I can, giving
me confidence in my own abilities and constantly teaching me all he knows about
the game," Bree said. "Des is also big on discipline. As he has already played
the highest level of touch, he knows what to try and when and I think learning
this from him really improved my game. At times you can tend to lose concentration
and turn the ball over when it wasn't really necessary."
Bree will be looking
to play competitive touch over the next year or two in A-Grade which will allow
her to develop her game and take it to the level required to play opens touch.
"I think that is the biggest criticism of touch in Victoria. There is very little
opportunity to develop your game at club level. Because there are new players
coming the clubs all the time, you're constantly going over the basics," Bree
said.
"But by the time you get used to playing a particular level of touch
it is hard to adjust, especially at state level. It is a big jump from playing
with amateurs to women who play state, then by the time you get used to it, often
it is too late." A few of Bree's team mates from the under-23s hope to form a
team to play in various competitions against some state and representative teams,
which is the perfect opportunity for Bree to learn the skills she needs to play
opens in the near future.
Bree is only 23 years of age and has plenty of
run left in her legs. With endless opportunities in front of her it is quite possible
for Bree to represent Victoria at national level for many years to come. Every
game she plays she learns something from and she is constantly looking to be the
best she can. If she progresses as fast as she has to date then Bree Watkins will
certainly become a common name in Victorian touch circles.
History
of Touch Football in Australia
* Initially began as a training game
for rugby league teams in NSW and QLD in the 1950s and 60s.
* South Sydney
hosted the first official game of touch football and established the first official
touch football association in 1968.
* Other associations were formed and the
first interdistrict competition began in 1978.
* In 1979 the Queensland Touch
Assocation were formed.
* 1980 the first official National Touch Championships
were held which consisted of three divisions (men's and women's open and men's
over 35.
* In 1995 National Championships consisted of over 11 divisions and
over 1500 players and official competed
* Currently, there are over 250,000
registered touch players in Australia and over 500,000 children play the game.
*
Touch has expanded overseas attracting teams such as New Zealand, South Africa,
Japan and the USA among many others.
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