Eight Southern Highlands players were selected in the Southern Branch side that travelled to Valentine Sports Park.

Fred Ash, Oscar Lambie, Kynan Denford, Rowan Davies, George Lewis, Evan Woods-Jack, Aaron Hage and Lauchie Scott were all part of the team that took part in the tournament.

Coach Craig Ash said the competition was more development based for the age group and the Southern Branch side performed well against some strong competition.

The team played seven games across the five days of the tournament and were competitive in each of the games.

“On the development side of things the boys were exceptional,” Ash said.

For Ash, who has been involved in State Titles for the past several years, he knew how important preparation would be ahead of the competition.

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In the lead up to the tournament, Ash said the side had plenty of training sessions as well as a few trial games.

He said much of the preparation was focused on “collective defending tempo” as well as resting defence.

The Highlands players were no strangers to  a high level of competition and Ash said they had been involved in the SAP program for the past few years.

“This [state titles} was a step up again and we were surprised with how well we went. It was a good vibe and good to be a part of.”

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