Sport
7 June, 2023
Tullawong trio impresses at state hockey titles
Tullawong State High School trio Ethan Allinson, Cameron Allinson and Preston Stuart took part in the 13-19 years Queensland Representative School Sport (QRSS) Boys Hockey State Championships from May 18 to 21.
The Tullawong teens represented the Sunshine Coast ‘Doggies’ while other teams came from Peninsular (Cairns), Northern (Townsville), Capricornia (Mackay/Rockhampton), Wide Bay (Bundaberg/Maryborough), Darling Downs (Toowoomba/Warwick), Metropolitan North (North Brisbane), Metropolitan East (Cleveland), Metropolitan West (Ipswich) and South Coast (Gold Coast).
Metropolitan East was the host team, as the games were played outdoors at the State Hockey Centre in the Brisbane suburb of Colmslie.
With Ethan in year 12, Cameron in year 8 and Preston in year 10, the Tullawong teens were among 30 players at district trials at Buderim in early March to compete for spots in the 15-player Doggies team.
The 30 players at the trials came from places including Buderim, Caboolture, Redcliffe, Caloundra, Maroochydore, Nambour and Noosa.
The Doggies began with a 1-all draw against South Coast, and followed up with a 1-0 win over Northern, a 3-0 loss to Wide Bay, a 4-2 loss to Darling Downs, a 1-0 loss to Metropolitan West, and a 4-3 win over Metropolitan North.
The ninth placing did not reflect how competitive the Doggies were, and their second victory came after they trailed 3-1 at half-time.
Darling Downs won the 13-19 boys division, with Wide Bay the runner-up.
The Allinson brothers played as defenders while Preston had a striker position, and the latter scored the first goal of the tournament for the Sunshine Coast team.
Ethan and Cameron saved many base-line goals, and stopped the opposition advancing into the circle.
Ethan’s and Cameron’s mum Leanne said the three Tullawong teens were happy and confident with their success on the field.
“Day one through to day four, each of the boys showed strong resilience and respect for the game,” she said.
“Each of the boys were complimented on their game play, outstanding sportsmanship and skill set on the field by their teammates, sports officials and spectators at the event.”
The 13-year-old Cameron, who also plays for the Maroochydore and Redcliffe hockey clubs, was the youngest player in the Sunshine Coast 13-19 team.
It was Cameron’s second year of representing the Sunshine Coast in this age group.
A former Queensland 10-12 years School Boys Hockey Queensland representative (although covid prevented him going to the Nationals), Cameron represented Queensland at U13 level in last year’s Nationals in Hobart.
In the next two years, Cameron will be eligible for the U16 Queensland school representative team to play at the Nationals.
Ethan, who also plays for the Maroochydore and Redcliffe hockey clubs, has represented the Sunshine Coast for the past five years. This year was his final opportunity to play schoolboys hockey, due to graduating from high school at the end of this year.
A former captain of the team, Ethan was also the coach’s player of the tournament in 2021 and 2022, and is also a former Queensland U16 squad development recipient.
Preston, meanwhile, joined the Sunshine Coast 13-19 team for the first time this year.
At club level, Preston plays for the Nambour Blue Demons and Valleys.
