2023 Big 4 International Tag Series Coaches Appointed

2023 Big 4 International Tag Series Coaches Appointed

Australian Oztag are pleased to announce the Coaches for the Australian Tagaroos and the Rest of the World Squads, to compete at the 2023 Big 4 International Tag Series.

The Big 4 International Tag Series (ITS), set to be played in March 2023, will provide Under 16’s and 18’s Boys and Girls the opportunity to represent their country on the International stage.

The other 2 teams competing at the Big 4 ITS will be teams representing the Indigenous and Lebanese communities.

Australian Oztag (AO) would like to congratulate the following coaches on their appointments and wish them all the very best with the selection process.

The Australian Tagaroos Coaches:

Boys 16’s

Head Coach        Michele Reaney

Asst Coach          Amy Spence

Girls 16’s

Head Coach        Ben Ellis

Asst Coach          Cindy Brookfield

Boys 18’s

Head Coach        Peter Roberts

Asst Coach          Brendan Martin

Girls 18’s             

Head Coach        Adam Carlisle

Asst. Coach         Tim Bailey

The Rest of the World Coaches:

Rest of the World Team Coordinator

Luke Bickhoff

Boys 16’s

Head Coach        Shaun Cox

Asst Coach          Adam Barrett

Girls 16’s

Head Coach        Nick Cash

Asst Coach          TBC

Boys 18’s

Head Coach        Jason Havenaar

Asst Coach          Greg Michell

Girls 18’s             

Head Coach        Jen Joshua

Asst. Coach         Kaila Afungia

Teams will be selected from the upcoming Junior National Championships which will be held in Coffs Harbour from the 14th – 16th October.

Players competing in the 14’s and 15’s age divisions will be selected for the Under 16’s and those in the 16’s and 17’s divisions will be selected for the Under 18’s. 

AO National Director of Coaching and Development, Michael Buettner touched on the significance of coaching at such a level.

“There is no doubt that their jobs won’t be made easy with the quality of players who are eligible for these teams,”

“But it is always an honour to represent your country and for these coaches to be given this opportunity is something they will cherish,” he said.

Dates and a venue for the Big 4 International Tag Series is yet to be finalised.

2023 ITF Tag World Cup Announcement

2023 ITF Tag World Cup Announcement

Australian Oztag have announced the official dates and selection policy for the 2023 ITF Tag World Cup in Limerick, Ireland.

Following the success of the International Tag Series in August, the Oztag community are now shifting their focus to the 2023 Tag World Cup (TWC), to be played in Limerick, Ireland.

The highly anticipated tournament will be the first time since the 2018 World Cup, that players from across the globe have the opportunity to come together and compete at an international level.

As advised by the International Tag Federation (ITF), Australian Oztag (AO) are pleased to announce the official dates, tournament venue and divisions for the 2023 TWC.

2023 ITF Tag World Cup Information

Dates: Wednesday 2nd August – Saturday 5th August, 2023

Location: Limerick, Ireland

Tournament Venue: University of Limerick

Divisions (13):

  • Mens, Womens and Mixed Under 21’s
  • Mens, Womens and Mixed Opens
  • Mens and Womens 30’s and 40’s
  • Mixed Seniors
  • Mens 50’s
  • Mens 60’s

AO have also released their official Selection Policy relative to the upcoming Senior Australian Championships in November. It is recommended that all players read the policy if they wish to be considered for selection.  

AO National Director of Coaching and Development, Michael Buettner said there is certainly a sense of anticipation and excitement for next year’s TWC in Ireland.

“There is no greater honour than to represent your country and to be apart of the first Tag World Cup in the Northern Hemisphere will definitely be something special for those players who get the opportunity,” he said.

With the 2022 Australian Championships being the basis for World Cup selection, AO have no doubt that it will be one of the strongest and most competitive displays of Oztag in years.

“Players are preparing themselves for an all-out assault at the National Championships in November, where teams for all 13 divisions will be selected,” Buettner said.  

The Oztag community can look forward to an exciting 12-months ahead, as we itch closer to departing the shores of Australia and travelling half way around the world to compete in a World Cup.

“Once in Ireland, the aim is to make the whole experience a once in a lifetime opportunity and hopefully one that all players and officials will never forget,” Buettner said.

2022 Tagaroos Captains and Ambassadors Announced

2022 Tagaroos Captains and Ambassadors Announced

Australian Oztag are pleased to announce the 2022 Tagaroos Captains and Ambassadors for the upcoming International Tag Series in August.

In two weeks’ time, players from around the country will be getting ready to take the field and represent their heritage at the 2022 International Tag Series (ITS) in Coffs Harbour.

Australian Oztag (AO) have today announced the Tagaroos Captains, Vice Captains and Ambassadors for the upcoming ITS tournament – set to be played from August 5-7, 2022.

This achievement is one of prestige and we sincerely congratulate the following Australian Representatives on their appointment.

CAPTAINS:

Justin Brown – Men’s 40s

Renee Fleming – Women’s 30s

VICE-CAPTAINS:

Steve Plowman – Senior Mixed

Angela Jones – Women’s 40s

SENIOR AMBASSADORS:

Wayne Williamson – Senior Mixed Asst Coach & Men’s 60s Coach

Karen Breaden – Women’s 40s Coach

JUNIOR AMBASSADORS:

Cameron Keene – Boys 18s

Ella Carlisle – Girls 18s

AO National Director of Coaching and Development, Michael Buettner emphasised the merit behind this accolade and has no doubt that those selected will lead Australia with pride.

“Anytime you get to represent your country is a huge honour, but to be selected as a captain or ambassador really heightens the entire experience,” Buettner said.

“Having spoken to each and every one of these deserving individuals, they were truly humbled by the chance to lead the Tagaroos squad at the upcoming ITS tournament,” he said.

And the 2022 Captains, Justin Brown and Renee Fleming were exactly that – humbled by the opportunity.

 “I’m very honoured and proud to be named captain, to represent your country at any sport is a huge honour – especially Oztag which has been such a massive part of my life both in sporting and social environments,” Brown said.

“It’s an absolute honour to be named captain and honestly came as a huge surprise to me… To be recognised in such an amazing way means a lot in the sport I love,” Fleming said.

The upcoming ITS tournament will mark the return of international competition after a long three years, due to COVID and subsequent travel restrictions.

Hence, in addition to leading their country, the pair are both looking forward to the elite nature of the tournament.

“I’m looking forward to competing and wearing the green and gold again, which I’ve always been proud to do,” Brown said.

“I can’t wait to compete at the highest level again and playing alongside friends I’ve made through the sport,” Fleming said.

Junior Australian Championships Announcement

Junior Australian Championships Announcement

Australian Oztag is delighted to announce that the Junior National Championships will see players competing at the tournament, have the opportunity to represent their country in 2023.

Australian Teams commonly referred to as the Tagaroos, will be selected from the Junior National Championships in the following divisions:

Under 16’s Boys and Girls

Under 18’s Boys and Girls

In addition to the Tagaroos teams being selected, there will also be a Rest of the World team selected in the same divisions who will then compete in a Big 4 International Tag Series (ITS) in March 2023.

The other 2 teams competing at the Big 4 ITS will be teams representing the Indigenous and Lebanese communities – making for a very competitive tournament, with some of Oztag’s emerging stars having the chance to shine at an International level.

With next year’s International Tag Federation World Cup being played in Ireland it was felt there needed to be something for our younger players to aspire to in terms of their representative careers, and this Big 4 ITS will see our game’s young stars have this opportunity.

Dates and Venue for the Big 4 International Tag Series are yet to be finalised, however it is proposed that a one-day tournament in Wollongong in mid-March is the likely scenario.

Players competing in the 14’s and 15’s age divisions will be selected for the Under 16’s and those in the 16’s and 17’s divisions will be selected for the Under 18’s. 

We look forward to a some strong competition from players at the 2022 Junior National Championships as they strive for representative honours.

Michael Buettner

National Director of Coaching and Development

NSW Senior State Cup: Finals Wrap

NSW Senior State Cup: Finals Wrap

The 2022 NSW Senior State Championships came to a successful conclusion in Coffs Harbour following three days of quality Oztag.

The much-anticipated tournament kicked off on Friday 24 June and welcomed 160 teams to Coffs Harbour – well-prepared and determined to take out the Championship.

A packed out C.ex Stadium saw spectators on the edge of their seats come Finals day, as numerous games resulted in a one-point difference or came down to exhilarating extra time drop offs.

Six-time Men’s Opens gold medallists, Homebush, were knocked out in the Quarter Final by Souths, who went on to defeat Penrith in a nail-biting Semi Final drop off.

Advancing to the Final, Souths met Central Coast – who came back from a 3-1 trail, to secure the long-awaited championship title, defeating Souths 4-3.  

Penrith Senior Mixed and Central Coast Men’s 40s both won gold for the third year in a row, while ACT Women’s 30s defeated reigning champions, Ryde, in a thrilling Grand Final drop off.

For the ninth consecutive year, finishing on 80 points, Central Coast Oztag have been crowned NSW Senior Club Champions.

Ten of their 13 teams qualified for Semi Finals, and the six who made the Grand Final, won gold.

In second place was Souths on 56 points, and in third was Cronulla on 36.

Below are the 2022 NSW Senior State Cup Grand Final results. Congratulations to all Champions.

Women’s 20s

Central Coast defeated Souths 5-3

Women’s Opens

Central Coast defeated Fairfield 4-1

Women’s 30s

ACT defeated Ryde Eastwood 2-1 in extra time

Women’s 40s

Central Coast defeated Cronulla 2-1

Mixed 20s

Souths defeated Cronulla 7-3

Mixed Opens

Souths defeated Sydney City 9-2

Mixed Seniors

Penrith defeated Picton 5-3

Men’s 20s

Baulkham Hills defeated Parramatta 7-5

Men’s Opens

Central Coast defeated Souths 4-3

Men’s 30s

Penrith 1 defeated Sydney City 3-2

Men’s 40s

Central Coast defeated Parramatta 5-2

Men’s 45s

Penrith

Men’s 50s

Central Coast defeated Souths 5-0

Men’s 55s

Kiama

Men’s 60s

Souths defeated Cronulla 2-1

For all tournament results, visit the Australian Oztag website or Sportfix.

Finals Livestream is still available on Facebook.

NSW Oztag would like to thank everyone for making the 2022 Senior State Championships an exceptional tournament for all involved.

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