by Chelsea Cryer | Jul 10, 2020 | Latest News
Tags replaced confetti and an Oztag ball replaced flowers in the wedding photos of two Fairfield Oztag representatives, whose love story literally kicked off with an Oztag whistle.
The newly wedded couple, Andrew and Malisa Trinh tied the knot at what looked to be a beautiful ceremony on Saturday June 6, 2020.
Fairfield representative, Andrew Trinh explained how the game of Oztag has played such a major role in his relationship with Malisa.
“We met at Carrawood Park at the first Fairfield City Oztag competition,” Andrew said.
“I joined Malisa’s mixed team because one of her players got injured. I ended up being a permanent replacement and that’s how I got to know her.”
“Our friendship sparked from there and a year or so later, we started dating. Up until our wedding we were together for six years,” he said.
The two, self-proclaimed ‘Oztag Tragics’ are heavily involved in the Oztag community. So much so, they spend four nights a week at Fairfield competitions.
“We’re right in there. We help run the competitions, we ref, and we play,” Andrew said.
“We both play State Cup and Nationals. We’ve gone to City Country tournaments, World Cups and Oceania. I’ve even coached some State Cup and City Country sides,” he said.
Image credit: Andrew Trinh
When asked about the wedding photos, Andrew explained that the Oztag twist was completely spontaneous.
“It wasn’t planned at all. We had a lot of our mates there that have played or still play Oztag. So as we were taking photos with the guests, one of our close friends, Rob, grabbed a fresh set of tags and a brand new ball out of his car,” he said.
Before they knew it, the group of Oztaggers had gathered, tags in hands and in pockets – celebrating a relationship that evolved with their common love for the game.
“I wouldn’t have it any other way. It was pretty much the epitome of our relationship. With our friends and how we met,” Andrew said.
But it didn’t end there. Andrew had one last surprise for his wife, Malisa.
“As a little wedding gift for Malisa, I engraved the coordinates of where we first met on the inside of both of our rings, to signify the Oztag fields at Carrawood Park,” he said.
The couple were initially quite upset amidst the global pandemic and its impact on weddings. However, restrictions were eased a week before the big day, allowing them to have up to 20 guests at the ceremony.
Although it was much smaller than they originally anticipated, Andrew and Malisa always had their hearts set on signing those papers.
“We were always going to go ahead and get married because that day is an important day for us – it’s our anniversary,” Andrew said.
“We were going to have a big Asian wedding which is normally four or five hundred people, so Covid definitely took a bit of pressure off,” he laughed.
Unable to hold a reception, the couple have postponed their celebrations to next year when borders open and family can attend from overseas.
Australian Oztag wish the happy couple all the best and many years of tagging ahead.
by Chelsea Cryer | Jul 3, 2020 | Latest News
The East Coast Orcas Girls 10s have been undefeated champions since 2018, aiming to take out the 2020 Junior Australian Championships for the third year in a row.
Following a remarkable 6-1 victory in the 2019 Grand Final, the Orcas have their hearts set on chasing their third consecutive National Championship in October.
Majority of these talented girls started playing Oztag at a very young age, tracing back to when the association was previously known as East Coast Stingers.
Proud Coach, Lawrence Last made clear that the girls’ love for the game has been the main contributor to their reigning success.
“They’re dedicated and they all love Oztag. For majority of them it’s the first sport they want to play. They are a great bunch of girls and are just real competitive,” Mr Last said.
“As part of their training, the girls play up in the Under 12s at their local competition. And two years ago, they won the Grandfinal in that age group,” he said.
Photo credit: Leah Bell
Talent aside, the passion these girls share stem from a foundation of friendship according to Mr Last, allowing them to be on the same wavelength when it comes to Oztag.
“They’re all really good mates, like if one girl has a birthday party, they’re all invited and literally play Oztag for the birthday party,” he said.
With the 2020 Orca’s team named today, Mr Last gave an insight into what they will be focusing on to uphold their national title in October.
“Defence. Defence is everything. They’ve got it in their head that if they defend and score just one try, they win the game,” he said.
The Orca’s Girls 10s will compete at the upcoming Junior Australian Championships in Coffs Harbour over the 18th, 19th and 20th of October.
by Chelsea Cryer | Jun 19, 2020 | Latest News
As the only official entity to conduct Oztag on the Northern Beaches, Oztag Northern Beaches Sydney is excited to announce it is now taking registrations of interest for its winter competitions to commence in July 2020.
It is looking to run competitions across various days and locations within the Northern Beaches to make the sport easily accessible for its participants.
Whether your reasons for participating are purely social or you have the desire to represent the Northern Beaches at State Cups and further, we cater to both at all age levels and genders.
To register your interest as a player, referee or sponsor, please email phil@oztag.com.au
To keep up to date with all the latest developments and news you can follow us on social media via:
* Northern Beaches Oztag Facebook page
* Northern Beaches Oztag Instagram
Also, Parents keep a look out for Northern Beaches Primary & Secondary School Gala Day dates as they will be announced shortly.
NOTE: Manly Eagle Tag is not affiliated with Oztag and are not allowed to play the rules of Oztag. Any player not participating in an official Oztag competition will not be able to play in any representative tournaments of Oztag i.e. State Cup, Nationals, City V Country or World Cup
by Chelsea Cryer | Apr 15, 2020 | Latest News
Australian Oztag recently suspended all Autumn & Winter competitions from Monday, 23rd March until Monday, 4th May 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This date will now be extended until Monday, 1st June 2020 and will be revised again if needed as information on the pandemic is rapidly changing.
It is important we take the necessary precautions as a sporting body and follow Government advice/directives during the pandemic.
We are all missing playing Oztag and we hope to be back on the field as soon as it’s deemed safe to do so.
Please take all the necessary precautions during the COVID-19 pandemic to keep your family and yourself safe and to further prevent the spread of the virus.
by Chelsea Cryer | Mar 30, 2020 | Latest News
Australian Oztag Contingency Plan 2020 RE: CoronaVirus Pandemic
Australian Oztag shut down all competitions from Monday 23rd March to Monday 4th May, 2020. (To be continually reviewed)
Trans-Tasman Tour postponed & re-scheduled to Thursday 24th, 25th & 26th September, 2020. Teams departing Australia on the 22nd returning 27th September.
NSW State Championships re-scheduled to Friday 30th , 31st Oct & 1st November, 2020.
Further amendments to the calendar have been made. To view the full statement with all the amendments, click here.
by Chelsea Cryer | Mar 17, 2020 | Latest News
Australian Oztag
Response to COVID-19 (Coronavirus)
Domestic competitions
This is an update in regards to COVID-19, or better known as the Coronavirus for all Associations.
It is important we take the necessary precautions as a sporting body and follow Government advice/directives during the pandemic. There are changes every day as the Government constantly updates its restrictions.
AO is continually meeting to discuss the situation and will provide timely updates or each day if necessary.
As you are aware the NSW Senior State Championships & Australian Oztag Trans-Tasman Tour have both been postponed. This comes after NZ & Australian Governments both implemented travel restrictions and mandatory self-isolation procedures when entering the countries as well as a ban on non-essential mass gatherings of more than 500 people.
Most Associations have completed their Summer season with a few still playing finals this week. Our advice is to finish these competitions implementing the good practice hygiene tips below and ensuring you abide by the Non-essential gathering policy of 500 persons. (should not be issue with players attending, playing & leaving straight away.)
To view the full statement, click here.
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