Australian Oztag is proud to announce the players selected for the 2021 High Performance Academy, a prestigious opportunity that see’s the development of Oztag’s rising stars.
Players were once again selected based on their performance at the City v Country tournament, which was held in Tuggerah on the Central Coast in June.
The High Performance Academy (HPA) identifies the game’s rising stars from the 14 and 15 year-old age groups, providing them the opportunity to be coached by some of Oztag’s elite coaches.
The following players will attend the HPA Camp which will take place at the NSW Academy of Sport in Narrabeen later this year.
The Academy is now in its third year and has seen some amazing results from the players who have attended, with many former HPA players selected to represent the Australian Tagaroos at the upcoming Trans–Tasman Tournament in New Zealand.
Australian Oztag Director of Coaching and Development, Michael Buettner believes the HPA is an opportunity for players to strengthen their game in a professional environment.
“There is no doubt the High-Performance Academy is a great springboard for the game’s emerging stars to take the next step towards representing their country in Oztag,” Buettner said.
“The NSW Academy of Sport at Narrabeen provides the perfect facility for the players and coaches to prosper in a High-Performance environment,” he said.
From outlining the specifics of player roles and positions, to maximizing athletic performance and partaking in a variety of skill and conditioning drills, the squad will be treated like elite athletes.
Oztag Founder, Perry Haddock has confidence in this year’s program and congratulates all players on their selection.
“This year will see some of Oztag’s great coaches at the High-Performance Academy work with the young stars of our game to nurture and develop their Oztag skills in addition to having lots of fun and building friendships that may last a lifetime,” Haddock said.
“Congratulations to each and every one of the players on their selection; we look forward to welcoming you to the High-Performance Academy later this year,” he said.
For a second year, Australian Oztag could not invite QLD players to the 2021 HPA Camp due to Covid-19. However, ACT’s players will be nominated by the association.
All players selected will receive full HPA kit allocation, accommodation and meals, covered by Australian Oztag for the duration of the camp.
AO congratulate all 40 players on their selection in the 2021 HPA squad.
The team from Australian Oztag recently held a training day for a group of eager Oztaggers from Stellar Experiences, ahead of their first Oztag season.
In late March, Australian Oztag (AO) had the pleasure of meeting the team from Stellar Experiences through a skill-development training day in preparation for the upcoming Winter competition.
With the motto ‘Empowering independence. Inspiring inclusivity’, Stellar Experiences provides social, recreational and community participation opportunities for 16-35-year-olds with mild to moderate disabilities and mental health conditions.
Stellar Experiences Program Coordinator, Ryan Willis explained in a nutshell, what Stellar Experiences aim to achieve.
“We try to give our guests the same opportunities that everyone else their age has,” Willis said.
“Social outings and travel are our main focus – we want them to get out in the community, get active and make friendships along the way,” he said.
With a lot of guests who are really into their sport, Stellar reached out to Oztag and enquired about entering a team in their local Sutherland Shire competition.
“We’re always kicking a footy and running around so we thought it would be really awesome to put a team in a mainstream competition where we can play with our peers and get active,” Willis said.
“Most people grow up playing Oztag in the Shire so we thought it would be something great for our guests to do,” he said.
To prepare for the upcoming Winter season, Stellar Experiences took part in a training day with Australian Oztag to familiarise players with the game and its rules, while focusing on skill development through a variety of game-specific drills.
The Stellar team jumped off the bus full of excitement, and were quickly decked out in their new playing gear – a gift from Cronulla Oztag.
Over the course of the day, the team picked up the skills very quickly before applying what they learnt to game situation – refereed by AO General Manager, Bill Harrigan.
“I think everyone thought it was cool learning new skills; everyone knew about Oztag but not quite how it worked and the intricacies,” Willis said.
“They really loved getting to meet Bill and the rest of the team from Australian Oztag,”
“Ever since the training day, the guys have not stopped talking about Oztag,” he said.
The ‘Stellar Squad’ are set to play their first game tonight as the Sutherland Shire competition commences and are very eager according to Willis.
“They’re really looking forward to getting on the field together, having that team bond and meeting their opposition” he said.
“They’re a really social bunch so we just hope that they enjoy themselves,”
“We’ve already had a lot of other guests express their interest to play next season, so hopefully we can make it ongoing and enter a few teams in the future,” Willis said.
Stellar Experiences also have a team participating in the Wollongong competition, who played their first game last week. Despite losing by one point, players were thrilled to be on the field with their mates and meeting new people.
That’s the beauty of Oztag – it can be played and enjoyed by all ages and abilities. It is, and always has been ‘the game for everybody’.
AO wish ‘Stellar Squad’ the best of luck as they kick off tonight.
Stellar Experiences have teams based in the Sutherland Shire/Illawarra and Gold Coast regions. Head to their website to learn more.
The 2021 NSW Secondary Schools Championships details have been released following the recent Government announcement on the return of Interschool Sport.
Below are the confirmed dates and venues for the regional tournaments, which will act as qualifying events for students in years 7/8, 9/10 and 11/12 across the state.
As stated in the Tournament Information, each regional winner and runner up will gain automatic entry into the NSW Champion of Champions to be held in July, Term 3.
The team at NSW Oztag are excited to announce two new regions this year with Coffs Coast and Southern Highlands adding to our ever-growing NSW Schools Championships which now sits at 13 regions.
Is this something you want your school to enter?
Do you want the chance to go up against the best Oztag schools across the state and have the opportunity to make the 2021 Secondary Schools NSW team?
To enter your school, a teacher must download the Nomination Form and email the completed form to jordan@oztag.com.au. Submission and full team payment must be made two weeks prior to the event.
The Secondary Schools Championships will be strictly run to comply with Government regulations and NSW Oztag’s Covid Safety Plan to ensure the safety of all involved.
On January 18, 2021 the NSW Government announced the recommencement of School Sport state-wide.
Both Primary and High schools have been granted health advice on minimising the risk of Covid-19 transmission within NSW school communities while encouraging sport participation.
“Interschool sport and physical activity can recommence. This means that schools and students may now travel outside their local community,”
“Zone carnivals (swimming, cross country, athletics), round robins and gala days involving more than one school, can also recommence,”
“External providers can be used for sport and physical activity programs provided they have a COVID-19 Safety Plan in place.”
Australian Oztag (AO) are pleased to announce the return of NSW Oztag Interschool tournaments, clinics, and gala days. This includes:
NSW Secondary School Regional Tournaments – open to all schools (private and public) for both boys and girls (year 7/8, 9/10 and 11/12 combined).
The Champions and Runners up in each division are invited to the Champion of Champions tournament, where a NSW Merit team will be selected.
Internal Primary School Clinics – can be privately organised to promote the game and improve skills.
Primary School Gala Days – competitive tournament run over one day. The three locations for 2021 are Western Sydney, South Coast and Sydney East.
NSW Regional tour – 2021 Far North West Regional Tour, including Tamworth, Warialda and Coonabarabran. Will include visits to Primary schools and associations.
AO have advised that the 2021 dates and areas will be released in the coming weeks. Please keep an eye on our website and socials for updates and announcements.
We encourage associations to assist with promotion and attend School sport tournaments and gala days to advertise their local competition.
If interested, please ask your school to contact our staff. We will not accept enquiries from parents or students.
Alternatively, recommend our programs to schools in your area and encourage their participation at interschool tournaments and gala days.
AO are on the hunt for new referees willing to work at our NSW school tournaments in 2021. Such events will be mid-week – ideal for Uni and School students available in the middle of the day. If interested, please email jordan@oztag.com.au.
On Friday December 11 2020, Oztag’s elite juniors attended the prestigious High Performance Academy (HPA) Camp at the NSW Academy of Sport in Narrabeen.
Selected from the NSW Junior City v Country tournament, these players were recognised as future prospects of our sport and granted the opportunity to learn from Oztag’s elite coaches.
The HPA Camp involved high level coaching of specific skill and conditioning drills, an introduction to tournament preparation and recovery to optimise performance, game analysis through an in-depth video session, and a fun games night.
The weekend culminated with 3 games against each other, allowing players to implement the principles and coaching provided throughout the training sessions into game situation.
AO National Coaching Director and HPA Supervisor, Michael Buettner was very pleased with the running of the Camp and the opportunities provided to the game’s up and coming elites.
“It was a huge success,” Buettner said.
“The 52 players were provided with some of the best coaching our game has to offer including the Australian Men’s Opens coach Jeff Coroneos, Australian Oztag Hall of Famer David Rose and our very own Mark Gasnier,” he said.
On Saturday, the players were welcomed by former Knights and Bulldogs NRL player, Jack Cogger who encouraged them to make the most of the opportunity and like a sponge, absorb all of the coaches advice.
Aged between 13 and 15, the squad have been commended for the wealth of skill and attentiveness they displayed throughout the duration of the Camp.
“The players should be very proud of the way they behaved and responded to the high expectations placed on them by the coaches,” Buettner said.
“It was great to see the talent on show and how quickly they picked up advanced coaching techniques and then were able to apply them to a game situation,” he said.
On Sunday afternoon, Brisbane Broncos NRLW Premiership winner Jayme Fressard presented the players with their trophies. She spoke of her career with the Broncos and competing at the Commonwealth Games in 2015 in Rugby 7’s and how Oztag helped her in developing the skills to compete at a professional level.
The 2020 HPA Camp ensured Oztag’s future prospects headed home with a greater understanding of game specifics that will benefit them in their future endeavors.
“From what I saw the future of Australian Oztag is looking bright and I would expect to see a large percentage of the players at the HPA represent their country in the very near future,” Buettner said.
Australian Oztag thank all the parents, players, staff and coaches for their efforts over the weekend. To the NSW Academy of Sport in Narrabeen – the facilities were ideal, and a special mention to the players from the ACT who travelled 4 hours to attend the Camp.
Australian Oztag is proud to announce the players selected for the 2020 High Performance Academy, a prestigious opportunity that see’s the development of Oztag’s junior elites.
Selected from the NSW Junior City v Country Tournament held last weekend in Wollongong, these players have been identified as having the potential to be the next generation of superstars.
The High Performance Academy (HPA) targets the 14 and 15 year-old age groups, providing them the opportunity to be coached by some of Oztag’s elite coaches.
The following players will attend the HPA Camp which will take place at the NSW Academy of Sport in Narrabeen from December 11 to December 13, 2020.
Introduced in 2019, the inaugural HPA was deemed a major success. Players came from across the nation to learn from the best and enhance their game.
HPA Coach, Stephen Butler
Due to Covid-19, Australian Oztag (AO) unfortunately could not invite QLD players to this year’s HPA Camp. ACT’s players were however nominated by the association, with a few extra talents selected at this year’s Junior City v Country.
Oztag Founder, Perry Haddock gave insight into his confidence in the program and is eager to work with this selected squad of elite juniors.
“We’ve compiled some great coaches to work at the elite Oztag High Performance Academy and we have no doubt that the players will have a lot of fun and improve their Oztag skills,” Haddock said.
“Congratulations to each and every one of the players on their selection and we look forward to welcoming you to the Narrabeen Sports Academy in December,” he said.
From outlining the specifics of player roles and positions, to maximizing athletic performance and partaking in a variety of skill and conditioning drills, the squad will be treated like elite athletes.
The focus of the camp is to encourage the transfer of knowledge into game situations among the future prospects of our sport.
All players selected will receive full HPA kit allocation, accommodation and meals, covered by Australian Oztag for the duration of the camp.
AO congratulate all 52 players on their selection in 2020’s eminent HPA squad.
2019 HPA Camp at the NSW Academy of Sport, Narrabeen
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