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.
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.
Brighton-Le-Sands Public School (BLSPS) have introduced an intra-school Oztag competition to compensate for the cancellation of all PSSA sport this year, allowing students the opportunity to keep active with a ball and tags in hand.
BLSPS Staff member, Jo Williams was the brains behind the operation and was adamant to get the competition up and running after what was an uncertain chain of events.
“Due to the pandemic, all PSSA sports and school carnivals were cancelled for this year. But towards the end of Term two, Botany Bay PSSA decided to proceed with a ‘friendly’ competition for schools in our region,” Jo said.
“BLSPS held our own school trials for Oztag, Netball and Soccer. Oztag ended up with around 100 students trialing, which was significantly more than any of the other sports,” she said.
“Early Term three, we finalized our Oztag kids and ended up with 80 students who instantly began returning their forms and bus fare payments. The following week, after the Victoria situation, Botany Bay PSSA then decided not to proceed with the planned ‘friendly competition’,” Jo said.
As payments had started been processed and permission to use certain fields had been granted, BLSPS decided to continue with their own friendly intra-school team sports program.
With only 5 students opting out of the expense, the program ended up with enough interest to make 8 teams (4 Junior, 4 Senior).
The competition got students from Years 3-6 involved, many of which had never participated in a school team previously. Their excitement is a direct result of the non-competitive atmosphere and the opportunity to play with friends.
Image credit: Tracey McKinniery
“The kids get the experience of travelling by bus to the fields and are predominantly playing in mixed teams with a mixture of ability levels. We were also able to team them up with their friends, which doesn’t always work out for regular PSSA teams,” Jo said.
The kids get about an hour of playing time through two 30-minute games.
Image credit: Tracey McKinniery
St George Junior Oztag “Dragontag” Area Manager, Michelle Anderson attends the BLSPS intra-school sports program every week to help out with refereeing and on-field support.
Michelle runs an after-school Junior competition, known as “Dragontag” at Scarborough Park, Kogarah, played on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons. Dragontag is also played at Gannons Park, Peakhurst on Tuesdays. The 2020 Summer competition is set to kick off in the second week of October.
Australian Oztag staff look forward to continuing their visits to the BLSPS intra-school Oztag competition, to see the young local talent and help kids better understand the game.
Australian Oztag’s routine visits to local associations continue to prove the professionalism and diligence of our clubs, with commendable Covid play reported at Norwest, South West and Wollongong Oztag associations.
On Tuesday August 18, Australian Oztag (AO) staff visited Norwest Oztag, run by Rob Hutton and Tammy at Woodcroft Oval.
NSW General Manager, Luke Manahan said their compliance with the Covid Safety Plan was great.
“Refs were given a clipboard to sign on each team before kickoff, with games shortened to 15-minute halves, straight turnaround to avoid players standing in groups,” Luke said.
A break between games allowed players to filter in and out of the grounds safely, while Tammy patrolled games with a vest on to ensure there were no spectators.
The admin area had sufficient Covid signage and a Perspex screen separating the managers from anyone who came up.
Woodcroft Oval competition managers, Rob and Tammy.
The following night, AO staff made their way to Southwest Oztag at Elizabeth Reserve, Narellan Vale. Licensees, Paul and Caroline, aswell as competition managers, Ross and Michelle have been commended for having the best Covid plan to date.
Luke said they had all gates closed and only one entry point where all players had to be marked off upon arrival and had to sanitise before entering.
“There were strictly no spectators. Michelle stood at the entry gate allowing only players into the venue,” Luke said.
Once games kicked off, all gates were shut. Ross & Michelle walked around the fields in bright vests and signed on players, while ensuring hand sanitizer was used efficiently.
“All referees had their own hand sanitizer which they use on their hands and the ball. And players even received their own sanitizer,” Luke said.
Upon the conclusion of games, players filtered out through the exit gate at the other end of the fields – allowing for a safe transition of timeslots.
Southwest Oztag Entry point at Elizabeth Reserve
Southwest competition manager, Ross (left) pictured with AO staff, Jordan and Luke.
Along with these two inspections, AO visited Wollongong Oztag on Wednesday September 2. NSW Oztag Development Officer, Jordan Hollis said they implemented a strong Covid safety plan.
“They ran a very tight ship, with sanitizer and wipes on standby,” Jordan said.
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