The men’s open team went through the three-day competition undefeated before they lost to Ryde Eastwood 2-4 in the final.

It was unfortunately three times unlucky for Beresfield as the Bandits’ under-18 teams went down in the final the past two years.

But coach Tony Howard said it was a great feat for the young team, as this was the first time in a long while that Beresfield had fielded an opens side in the competition.

The oldest player in the team was 23-years-old while the youngest was just 16.

What the team lacked in experience was made up by Howard at the helm. The coach was a former Australian touch football representative and 1991 Maitland Sportsperson of the Year.

Howard said despite not playing their best in the final match, the team really stood up during the tournament.

“There was really just one game where we really let ourselves down,” he said.

“We didn’t play out best [in the final] but overall I’m really happy with the way they went.”

Howard said their expectation for the competition was an unknown as they had never competed in the opens before, so he was pleased with the way they performed across the three days.

The team managed to overcome strong teams such as Western Suburbs, who play in the Sydney touch competition. 

“They play week in, week out,” Howard said. “We don’t have that.”

Howard put the success of the team down to a mixture of ability, teamwork and attitude.

“There is a lot of talent within the side,” he said. “They work really well for each other.”

The coach said a lot of different players scored touchdowns over the course of the competition.

“They don’t just want to be the person who scores, we focus on that quite heavily,” he said.

“They really improved with the way they played and their attitude on the weekend was excellent.

“They really decided they wanted to do well.”

The group was very tight-knit as well. 

The team contained three sets of brothers, another cousin of one of the sets of brothers and Howard’s son was also in the team.

“They all get on really well, that’s part of the whole thing.”

With such a young outfit, Howard said the result was a good indication for future years of competition.

“It bodes well for the future,” he said.

“The plan is to keep going.”

The NSW Touch Football State Cup, which is in it’s 40^th year, is the state’s premier representative touch football competition.