Australian Paralympic Football Nationals 2012

Jack Williams Player of the Tournament

The tournament, usually held in Sydney, was held in far North Queensland in Rockhampton, one of the jewels of the Capricorn Coast. Terry Kennedy and David Pollard were instrumental in convincing Frenchville Sports club to organise the event.

The pitch was in perfect condition and the parochial Queensland supporters turned out in large numbers to fill the stadium for evening matches.

NSW Celebrate Their Gold medal

The 2012 Nationals was to be a momentous occasion in 2012 for a number of reasons. Firstly it is the first time that a team from Western Australia had entered a squad. Under the direction of Coach David Cantoni it was the first opportunity for the westerners to showcase the advancement of the development program in Perth.

"Western Australia plays a great brand of football and even though their players are very young Cantoni has them on the right path and I look forward to seeing them again in the future. The game against SA the other day was one of the best games I have seen at the Nationals", said Paul Brown National Coach. “One thing that did stand out was the discipline of the players and the shape that they managed to keep.”

Chris Barty(WA) voted Goalkeeper of the Tournament

The 2012 Nationals was going to be special. From the outset the standard of football was very good. Supporters, referees and spectators   were amazed at the level of the football played. The other thing that stood out was the enthusiasm and courage of the players. “it’s end to end football with lots of goals" said one spectator.

Queenslanders out in Support of Their Team

Bronze Medal winners, South Australia, upset Victoria to take the prize, the first time that the SA team had received a medal at the Nationals. It is interesting that those states where the state bodies are fully supportive of the program seem to be exceling and it is only a matter of time before South Australia and Western Australia start to dominate.

Frenchville Sports Club Host the 2012 Nationals

” The2012 Nationals highlighted the strength that we have at Junior level and it is these players that need to be developed for the next Paralympics in 2016. All squads have some good young players and some of those players will be invited to the next national camp. I was impressed with Brayden Davidson (SA), Stacey Sarago-Ahkee (QLD), James Turner (NSW,) Ryan Kinner (SA) and Connor Marsh (NSW). James, Ryan and Connor have already represented their country at International level and have a very good career ahead of them” said Brown.

Stacey Sarago-Ahkee (QLD) Bursts Past Chris Pyne (NSW)

The gold medal match between Queensland and NSW was very good but the increased depth of the NSW side would eventually become the difference. NSW boasts 6 National players and the combinations that they have built up at National level continue to dominate at the Nationals. Ben Atkins, Jack Williams (Player of the tournament), Chris Pyne, Connor Marsh, James Turner and Brett Fairhall were a decisive force and the speed, movement and passing accuracy in around the box was phenomenal.

Junior Pararoo, Ryan Kinner (SA)

Queensland, led out by National Captain, David Barber also boasted some good young players. Stacey Sarago-Ahkee, Queensland’s player of the tournament, was a standout scoring in the final against NSW.

Stacey Sarago-Ahkee (QLD) Scores in the Final

 “The Nationals competition gets stronger and more popular each year with a number of states vying for the honour of hosting the competition. It will not be too long before all states are represented at this level. This can only benefit the National program in the long run”, said Brown.