by Chelsea Cryer | Mar 29, 2019 | Latest News
North Sydney have made their NSW State Cup debut on the opening day of the 2019 senior championships in Coffs Harbour.
Despite a local Oztag competition only starting in the area 18 months ago, the Bears were eager to test themselves against the state’s best.
“It was a bit of a baptism of fire this morning,” North Sydney Bears self appointed skipper Joel Holmes told Oztag Australia.
“We played a team that were in the grand final last year and they gave us a bit of a towel up early. But we regrouped at half time and came out a different side in the second half and played really well from that point on.”
While the second half resurgence wasn’t enough to claim North Sydney’s first State Cup victory, Holmes seems confident that they’ll break their duck egg sooner rather then later.
“We’re playing on field one this afternoon so we’re all really looking forward to that,” he said.
“We’ve got plenty of talent in the side, but it always takes a bit of time to get used to playing with one another. I think we’ve got players from five different local teams, so it’s a really good representation of the North Sydney competition actually.”
“If we play like we did in the second half, I think we’ll be hard to beat this afternoon.”
Holmes, an immigration dodging Englishman who initially moved to Australia to referee at the Tag World Cup said the North Sydney competition is growing quickly and has a fantastic feel to it.
“It’s a very social and friendly competition. It actually reminds me a lot of Tag in London,” he said.
“Most of the players live nearby the fields and we usually have plenty of family and friends come down to watch. Then most of the teams hang around after the games and watch the others, which really adds to the atmosphere.”
While the Bears have targeted a spot in the finals in their first tournament, Holmes said the main priority was to enjoy the experience as they get used to playing representative Oztag.
“We want to play in the finals, we’ve all agreed on that but if we don’t leave with a medal, it won’t be the end of the world.
“As a group we decided at the start that our main goal was to really enjoy ourselves and I think we’re certainly ticking that box. If we keep doing that then I think the results on the field will sort themselves out.”
“We’ve also decided on a double denim theme for Sunday night. So if you fancy a Canadian tuxedo, feel free to come and join us.”
by Chelsea Cryer | Mar 28, 2019 | Uncategorized
With the 2019 NSW Senior State Cup just one sleep away, we thought we’d take a look back at last year’s winners.
Last year, Central Coast claimed the overall club championship with five premierships.
2018 NSW Senior State Cup Grand Final Results:
Mixed Opens (Div 1): Macarthur 7-5 Parramatta
Mixed Opens (Div 2): Fairfield City 6-0 Newcastle
Mixed 20s: Penrith 8-0 Central Coast
Senior Mixed: Sydney All Stars 3-1 St George
Men’s Opens (Div 1): Homebush 6-2 St George
Men’s Opens (Div 2): Engadine Heathcote 1-0 Ryde Eastwood
Men’s 20s: Penrith 5-5 Souths – Penrith declared champions
Men’s 30s: Penrith 3-1 Liverpool
Men’s 35s: Central Coast 8-1 Port Macquarie
Men’s 40s: Norwest 4-3 Macarthur
Men’s 45s: Central Coast 8-1 Port Macquarie
Men’s 50s: Central Coast 4-2 South West
Men’s 55s: Souths 1-0 Cronulla
Women’s Opens (Div 1): Central Coast 3-1 Kiama
Women’s Opens (Div 2): Macarthur 2-1 Coffs Harbour
Women’s 20s: Central Coast 5-1 Penrith
Women’s Seniors: Souths 3-2 Port Macquarie
Women’s Masters: South West 5-0 Central Coast
by Chelsea Cryer | Mar 13, 2019 | Latest News
The draws and pools for the 2019 NSW Senior State Cup have been released ahead of the opening match of the tournament in Coffs Harbour on the final Friday in March.
198 teams will compete in 19 divisions over the three days, with the tournament to begin at 10am on Friday morning and wrap up by 4pm on Sunday afternoon.
In 2018, Central Coast claimed the overall NSW Senior State Cup Club Championship and took out five divisions.
Homebush were too good for St George in the Men’s Opens final, Central Coast beat Kiama in the Women’s Opens final and Macarthur edged out Parramatta in the Mixed Opens decider.
Players will also be playing for spots in the 2019 NSW City v Country tournament to be played on the Central Coast on the June Long weekend.
2019 NSW STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
Friday 29th, 30th & 31st March
C.ex Stadium, Coffs Harbour
POOLS
DRAW
by Chelsea Cryer | Mar 8, 2019 | Latest News
Oztag NSW has announced the teams to play in the 2019 NSW Junior City v Country tournament on the Central Coast on Sunday of the June long weekend.
The state’s best young Oztag players were selected in either the Northern Country Knights, Southern Country Pride, Western City Scorpions or Southern City Seahawks based on performances at last month’s NSW Junior State Cup.
In last year’s inaugural NSW Junior City v Country tournament, Western City Scorpions were the team to beat and returned to Sydney with seven of 14 possible titles. Southern City Seahawks won three divisions while Northern Country Knights and Southern Country Pride both won two each.
“Last year’s tournament was fantastic and it looked as though all the players really enjoyed the rivalry and spirit that the tournament created,” Oztag NSW General Manager Luke Manahan said.
“It’s also a fantastic opportunity for our players to meet players from other regions and create new friendships, which is what our sport is all about.”
All players are required to confirm their availability by contacting their respective coach by March 14.
Click here for more information.
2019 NSW City v Country Teams:
Girls 11s
Girls 12s
Girls 13s
Girls 14s
Girls 15s
Girls 16s
Girls 17s
Boys 11s
Boys 12s
Boys 13s
Boys 14s
Boys 15s
Boys 16s
Boys 17s
by Chelsea Cryer | Mar 6, 2019 | Latest News
One of Australia’s greatest athletes believes Oztag is the ideal sport for young boys and girls looking to develop skills both on and off the field.
Rugby league immortal Andrew Johns attended his first NSW Junior State Cup at Bankstown over the weekend and was blown away by the spectacle.
“I just can’t believe how many kids are playing here this weekend, it’s fantastic,” Johns told Oztag Australia.
“Oztag is a fantastic sport for kids at a young age because they don’t need to worry about getting tackled and size doesn’t play as big a role.
“They develop their ball skills, their footwork, their vision, it’s the perfect gateway to rugby league and other sports.”
Arguably the greatest and most skilful rugby league player of all time, Johns said he thinks he would have benefited from playing Oztag during his younger years in Cessnock.
“I was just watching some really young kids and they can all catch and pass, so that’s a really great start,” he said.
“The young girls are really impressive. I did a little bit of coaching with a few of the girls sides and from an early age, their skills are fantastic.
“I don’t know if it’s got to do with the netball background, but their catch and pass is really good and they’ve got very soft hands, probably more so than boys at the same age.
“You can see how much women’s rugby league has improved over the last few years and I think that’s only going to continue based on what you can see here today.”
Despite his competitive nature, Johns said results weren’t the most important part of tournaments like this.
“Having fun is the most important thing, that’s what I keep telling my son. It doesn’t matter if you win or lose, it’s about enjoying yourself and if you want to be a bit more serious about it, you can do that when you get a little older.
“I think it’s important for the parents to remember that as well.”
So can we expect to see the eighth immortal in a pair of Oztag shorts some time soon?
“Nope, I can’t run mate, I’m shot,” he said.
“My days of playing any sort of competitive sport are long gone.”
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