The 2020 NSW Junior City v Country ended in a seven-title draw after a neck and neck event, both City and Country teams to be congratulated on their efforts.
Held on Sunday November 15, this year’s City v Country was the first Junior tournament of its kind amidst strict regulations. Originally set to be held in June, players were undeterred by the tournament being postponed twice – simply eager to get on the field.
Despite little opportunity to train, players from across the state came together to play some quality Oztag, with a great level of speed, versatility and skill on show.
Southern Country Pride were the most successful of the tournament after claiming five Grand Final wins. They dominated both the Boys and Girls 15s division, whilst also taking out the Girls 12s, 14s and 16s.
Also contributing to Country’s seven titles was the Northern Country Knights, who were named champions in the Boys 16s and Girls 17s divisions.
City’s success was off the back of the Southern City Seahawks dominating both the Boys and Girls 11s division, while also claiming victory in the Boys 14s and 17s.
Extra mention is to be given to the Western City Scorpions after qualifying for 12 of the 14 Grand Finals on Sunday. Of those, they took home gold in the Boys 12s, Boys 13s and Girls 13s divisions.
2020 NSW Junior City v Country Grand Final Results:
Boys 11s: Seahawks 7 – 2 Knights
Girls 11s: Seahawks 2 – 1 Scorpions
Boys 12s: Scorpions 6 – 5 Knights
Girls 12s: Pride 2 – 1 Scorpions
Boys 13s: Scorpions 5 – 4 Seahawks
Girls 13s: Scorpions 3 – 0 Pride
Boys 14s: Seahawks 5 – 4 Scorpions
Girls 14s: Pride 5 – 2 Scorpions
Boys 15s: Pride 3 – 1 Scorpions
Girls 15s: Pride 5 – 0 Scorpions
Boys 16s: Knights 4 – 3 Scorpions
Girls 16s: Pride 7 – 1 Scorpions
Boys 17s: Seahawks 4 – 3 Scorpions
Girls 17s: Knights 4 – 0 Seahawks
For all tournament fixtures and results, please visit the Sportfix app or click here.
Once again, selectors were actively present at the City v Country tournament, with eyes peeled for Oztag’s rising stars. Impressed with the standard of talent, selections have been made from the 14 and 15-year-old age groups for the inaugural 2020 High Performance Academy (HPA).
Player selection is set to be announced tomorrow, November 19, 2020.
Credit is to be given to the Tournament officials for persevering to get the annual City v Country up and running, whilst coaches, managers and players are to be commended for their compliance with the regulations in place.
The Lake Macquarie Women’s Opens side were all smiles after their Grand Final defeat having gone through the whole Senior State Cup tournament with nine players.
With only one sub the entire weekend, the girls made it through to the Women’s Opens division two Grand Final – a courageous performance of which they lost 4-1 to Newcastle.
After an exhausting eight games, a few injuries and a lot of gutsy efforts, the girls were recognised as champions in their own right – having made themselves and their association extremely proud.
Not long before the tournament, the original team began to fold due to injuries and the inability to commit to the revised dates, leaving their coach, Tempe Oke worried about numbers.
But these women were committed and willing to give the tournament a crack, prompting them to welcome one player from the players pool and take on day one with a team of ten.
Knowing well what a difficult task this was, Lake Macquarie Licensee, Peter Roberts was first to praise the efforts of these girls.
“They ended up playing ninety per cent of their games with eight players after one had to head home on the Friday and another got injured,” Roberts said.
“I was proud that they made the Quarters, so hearing they made the Grand Final was very exciting,”
“Win or lose, they did a great job,” he said.
Lake Macquarie Open Womens side
Having only lost one game all weekend, it goes without saying that this team is talented. But what got them to the big dance was their tenacity to play for each other.
“Their friendship and their teamwork would have gotten them through,” Roberts said.
Oztag Founder, Perry Haddock was extremely impressed by the effort put forward by this bunch of girls.
“I became aware that they were playing with nine as they were running across the field to their Grand Final,” Haddock said.
“From my experience, it is so hard to win the tournament with 16, let alone nine,”
“At one stage, they were playing with eight – It was just unbelievable,” he said.
Australian Oztag (AO) congratulate these girls on their display of determination and grit. They created their own silver lining amidst the circumstance and wore their jerseys with pride – an honest credit to themselves and Lake Macquarie Oztag.
According to Peter Roberts, it is the association’s eighth year competing at a representative level. As their numbers continue to grow, Lake Macquarie teams are climbing the ladders and jumping divisions.
“The girls have come back keen, excited for the next tournament and there’s other players wanting to play, so we’re hoping to keep the ball rolling,” Roberts said.
“People are now under the belief that we can go away and be competitive, even if we don’t have a full team,” he said.
Lake Macquarie Oztag are set to take 14 teams away to the NSW Junior State Cup in 2021; AO wish them the best of luck.
So OzTag has brought you to the Coffs Coast with all of the competitions, games and teams. But the Coffs Coast is so much more, that they invite you to come back and play for fun on the beautiful Coffs Coast.
Book a holiday with your loved ones, explore some of the natural wonders and discover a bucketful of unique experiences to entertain the whole family. Here is a few of our favourites:
Giingan Cultural Experience
Come and enjoy this award winning cultural tourism experience with the traditional custodians of the land. Held monthly at the iconic Sealy Lookout situated in the Orara East State Forest.
Treetops Adventure Tours
Climb, weave and fly through the treetops on the self- guided rope courses at Sealy Lookout. From beginners to advanced – there’s a challenge for everyone.
Solitary Islands Coastal Walk
This spectacular 60km walking track follows the gorgeous beaches and headlands along the coastline from Red Rock to Sawtell. Try it in small parts or challenge yourself on the 4 day experience.
Dorrigo National Park
Visit the World Heritage listed rainforest and experience natures’ paradise, millions of years in the making. Stroll the Wonga Walk, across the suspension bridge and behind the magical Crystal Falls waterfall.
Montem Bike Tours
Watch the sun come up on an early morning guided tour. Cycle the coastline or hinterland spaces as you explore the Coffs Coast.
The beautiful Coffs Coast host an average of five Oztag tournaments every year, with local businesses and residents ever-so welcoming. So do yourselves a favour and explore the region – outside the gates of C.ex Stadium.
We are only 9 days out from the NSW Junior City v Country, to be held on Sunday 15 November, 2020.
NSW Oztag are thrilled that this tournament is going ahead and look forward to welcoming the best of their junior talent back to the representative Oztag stage.
Under the current restrictions, all attending MUST comply with the Tournament’s COVID regulations in place.
Venue&Field Map
The tournament will be played across TWO venues, which has been segregated into three zones (see below) – there must be NO crossing over between zones. Please park on your allocated side.
Draw
Age groups have been appointed to a specific zone and session – A.M. or P.M. The morning session kicks off at 8:00am, the afternoon at 1:20pm. The afternoon session will not be allowed to enter the grounds until 12:40pm, prior to kick off.
Upon arrival, teams are to go straight to their zone, where managers will collect passes from the ZONE ADMIN. Plus one passes will be checked at each game.
NO Spectators
It is strictly ONE parent per player – only the parent listed on the registration form can attend the tournament with the player.
The Oztag community returned to the ever-welcoming Coffs Harbour for the first tournament since COVID-19, the inaugural NSW Senior State Cup.
Considering the disruption caused to Oztag competitions and training schedules this year, there was plenty of talent on display over the weekend.
Teams adjusted well to the unfamiliar game on, game off format; the exhibition of speed, skill and endurance was testament to the preparation of all teams.
The perfect conditions set the tone for a quality tournament, with congratulations owed to the crowned Champions:
Men’s 20s
Div 1 – Souths
Div 2 – Fairfield
Men’s Opens
Div 1 – Homebush
Div 2 – Central Coast
Men’s 30s
Div 1 – Picton
Div 2 – Fairfield
Men’s 40s
Central Coast
Men’s 45s
Central Coast
Men’s 50s
Central Coast
Men’s 55s
Central Coast
Men’s 60s
Souths
Mixed 20s
Div 1 – Souths
Div 2 – Macarthur
Mixed Opens
Div 1 – Penrith
Div 2 – Homebush
Mixed Seniors
Penrith
Women’s 20s
Souths
Women’s Opens
Div 1 – Fairfield
Div 2 – Newcastle
Women’s 30s
Central Coast
Women’s 40s
Tamworth
For all tournament fixtures and results, visit the Sportfix app or click here.
Australian Oztag (AO) were extremely pleased with the running of the tournament having been the first of its kind; with players and officials to be humbly commended for their compliance with regulations.
The response to the tournament’s format, including zones and the game on/game off configuration, was overwhelmingly positive, with many associations requesting that AO maintain that format in the future.
Prior to COVID-19, the tournament was set to welcome a record-breaking 219 teams. However, for various reasons many had to withdraw, leaving 148 teams to compete.
AO look forward to the return of all teams next year for the 2021 NSW Senior State Cup.
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