by Chelsea Cryer | Jul 10, 2019 | Latest News
The sport of Oztag is still in it’s infancy in South Africa having launched adult leagues in 2013 but they’re already making big strides in growing the game.
The South Africa TagBOKS recently embarked on an historic tour of Ireland, taking a Men’s and a Mixed Open team to the Emerald Isles and their early results have turned some heads in the northern hemisphere.
Ireland Tag Rugby launched in the year 2000 and have a significantly larger player pool to chose from but the South Africans have definitely punched above their weight and pushed full strength Irish teams to the wire.
The first test matches were played in Dublin with the second and third tests to be played on Friday, the 13th of July at the University of Limerick, the same venue as where the 2021 ITF World Cup will be taking place.
MIXED OPEN
IRELAND 9 defeated SOUTH AFRICA 8
MEN’S OPEN
IRELAND 10 defeated SOUTH AFRICA 8
by Chelsea Cryer | Jul 9, 2019 | Latest News
Oztag Australia will spend the next two weeks scouting the NSW North Coast for the best Oztag talent on offer as part of a five stop school holiday road show.
Starting in Ballina on Tuesday, the Oztag Australia team will run clinics in regional centres along the NSW North Coast, visiting Coffs Harbour, Port Macqurie, Port Stephens and Newcastle over the next fortnight.
“We know how strong Oztag is and how much talent there is in our regional centres so we thought the school holidays were a great opportunity to run clinics up and down the coast,” Oztag Australia’s Luke Manahan said.
“The clinics begin with basic drills and finish with a full Oztag match with a whole lot of fun thrown in around it.”
Manahan said yesterday’s clinic in Ballina attracted a number of youngsters who had never played Oztag before.
“The beauty of Oztag is that it really is a sport for kids of all shapes and sizes and we’ve already seen a number of kids show up with no previous experience and pick up the game quickly.
“The local associations are also involved in the clinic so hopefully we see those kids join up and play in a team next season.”
While Manahan stressed that participation was the focus of the clinics, he also said the coaches had one eye of the best young talent along the coast.
“If our players want to take Oztag more seriously, there are a number of pathways they can follow to play at a representative level.
“From their local competition, players can be picked to play at State Cup and Nationals, as well as in City v Country sides or in the newly launched High Performance Academy.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if we see some of the kids from one of these clinics playing Oztag for Australia a few years down the track.”
All participants also receive an Oztag shirt and visor.
If you’re interested in attending an Oztag School Holiday clinic on the NSW North Coast, head to the Oztag Australia website for more information or email luke@oztag.com.au.
by Chelsea Cryer | Jul 5, 2019 | Latest News
We are now taking applications for the Head Coach and Assistant Coach positions for the 2020 Trans-Tasman and for the 2021 ITF World Cup Australian Tagaroos squads.
The Australian Tagaroos are the pinnacle for Australian players in the sport of Oztag and we want to maintain our position as number one in the world.
The Tagaroos will be taking on the ever improving New Zealand Kiwi Tag Blacks in next year’s Trans-Tasman series (March/April 2020 TBC) in Auckland, New Zealand and we will be looking to bring home gold in every division at the 2021 ITF World Cup in Limerick, Ireland.
Therefore, we are on the lookout for experienced and professional Tagaroos coaches to help our squads maintain their number one rankings.
If you have any questions regarding the coaching roles, please email tagaroos@outlook.com
The deadline to get your application in is by 5pm on Friday, the 19th of July. Applications submitted after this date will not be reviewed.
The positions available are for the following teams:
2020 Trans Tasman
Boys and Girls 16s and 18s
Men’s 35s, 45s and 55s
2021 ITF World Cup
Men’s 21s, Open, 30s, 40s and 50s
Women’s 21s, Open, 30s and 40s
Mixed 21s, Open and Seniors
2020/21 AUSTRALIAN TEAM COACHES APPLICATIONS
Coaching Application Form
2020 Trans-Tasman
Head Coach Selection Criteria
Assistant Coach Selection Criteria
2021 World Cup – Limerick, Ireland
Head Coach Selection Criteria
Assistant Coach Selection Criteria
The Australian Tagaroos coaches will be announced on Tuesday, the 1st of October.
by Chelsea Cryer | Jun 28, 2019 | Latest News
To help with the development of our elite players, Australian Oztag has created the High Performance Academy for 13 to 15 year old age groups.
This Academy will provide elite coaching for a selected number of players that have been identified as having the potential to be our next generation of superstars.
During the NSW City v Country Championships, our 12 selectors have selected 16 boys and 16 girls to attend the inaugural academy. A further 6 players from Queensland were selected from their recent Tri Series. The ratio of players was based on player numbers in each state.
The team at Australian Oztag are pleased to announce the following players will be offered a position at the High Performance Academy which will take place at the Narrabeen Sports Academy on the Northern Beaches from Friday, the 15th of November to Sunday, the 17th of November:
BOYS
Jack Attard (Boys 13) – Scorpions
Lachlan Greatz (Boys 13) – Pride
Nayte Saaga (Boys 13) – QLD City
Ryan Wotton (Boys 13) – Seahawks
Elijah Baker (Boys 14) – QLD City
Dylan Brettle (Boys 14) – Scorpions
Josh Debritt (Boys 14) – Scorpions
Latu Fainu (Boys 14) – Scorpions
Shadi Hammoud (Boys 14) – Seahawks
Potoua Hotere-Papalii (Boys 14) – Scorpions
Harry McPeak (Boys 14) – Knights
Malaki Suopopo (Boys 14) – Pride
TJ Coe (Boys 15) – Seahawks
Ethan Hutchings (Boys 15) – Scorpions
Zack Lamont (Boys 15) – QLD City
Haydan Ritchie (Boys 15) – Knights
Ethan Smith (Boys 15) – Seahawks
Sean Trindall (Boys 15) – Pride
Marbam Wichman (Boys 15) – Scorpions
GIRLS
Kiani Duckett (Girls 13) – Seahawks
Jacinta Laverance (Girls 13) – Seahawks
Marlee Marshall (Girls 13) – QLD Barbarians
Evie McGrath (Girls 13) – Pride
Tayleah Pasili (Girls 13) – Scorpions
Matisse Bettridge (Girls 14) – QLD City
Ella Carlisle (Girls 14) – Knights
Lara Cosgrove (Girls 14) – Pride
Mackenzie Davis (Girls 14) – Scorpions
Lailani Montgomery (Girls 14) – Knights
Lily Riolo (Girls 14) – Pride
Tess Robinson (Girls 14) – Seahawks
Sienna Yeo (Girls 14) – Pride
Tallara Bamblett (Girls 15) – Scorpions
Mia Barber (Girls 15) – Knights
Krystal Bulmer (Girls 15) – Knights
Sienna Laing (Girls 15) – QLD City
Bindi O’Hara (Girls 15) – Pride
Sienna Williams (Girls 15) – Seahawks
For all the players that have been named above, please read the invitation letter which can be found by clicking here.
The deadline to confirm your attendance is by 5pm on Friday, the 12th of July.
by Chelsea Cryer | Jun 25, 2019 | Latest News
Crestwood High School will send six teams to Wednesday’s Inner West Sydney Senior Schools tournament.
More than 400 high school kids will compete in the regional tournament, that continues to get bigger every year.
“I think it just reflects the interest in Oztag around the Hills area, it’s great to see so many enthusiastic students that want to get involved in the sport,” Crestwood High School coach Hugo Lam told Oztag Australia.
Boys and Girls teams from throughout the region will compete in six divisions that are all expected to be tightly contested.
“Probably 50-60% of our guys play rep Oztag. We’ve got some Nepean players and some Tigers players in the younger years. Then we’ve got some kids playing Oztag for the first time,” Lam explained.
“We’ve got a bit of a crossover between our Oztag players and our touch players but we’re finding more and more that our students prefer Oztag.
“It’s a simpler game to learn to begin with and it’s a lot more definitive. When you get tagged, you’re tagged, whereas in touch it’s a lot greyer.
“They also pick up a lot of different skills that they can use in other sports like league and union, it’s a lot more relatable.”
While Lam said he was confident that his side’s would be competitive on Wednesday, he said the competition would be tough.
“Model Farms and Castle Hill both have a really strong Oztag culture. Model Farms are sending nine teams tomorrow, they’re only five minutes away from us, then Castle Hill are 10 minutes away so there’s certainly plenty of interest in the Hills district.
“We’re pushing for it to become a CHS sport. I don’t know if it’s quite there yet but there are certainly some things in the works to try and make Oztag an official sport in the NSW School Sport Association.”
The top two teams in each division will progress to the Champion of Champions tournament later this year and compete against the state’s best school Oztag sides for the NSW State Championships.
“We should get some good results. It’ll most likely be wet so the guys will need to adapt to that because that makes things a little less predictable.”
“The students were all really excited when they heard about the Champion of Champions tournament, it’s a big incentive for them.”
by Chelsea Cryer | Jun 20, 2019 | Latest News
Wadalba Community School has dominated the Central Coast Senior High Schools tournament played at Tuggerah on Wednesday.
Wadalba took our the Open Boys and Boys 9/10 divisions, while the two girls teams were beaten in the finals.
“The Open Boys team was a bit of a throw together team at the last minute. The boys wanted to play one last school gala day together before they finished Year 12, so they decided to give it a crack,” coach Kinsley Kettle told Oztag Australia.
“They weren’t taking it too seriously to start with but once they started winning, that changed pretty quickly, particularly towards the final.”
The side featured three Australian Oztag representatives, Lachie Clapham, Brodie Pintatara and Rohnan Maher and a number of other talented sportsman giving Oztag a crack for the first time.
“We had state cricket players, soccer players and some guys without much Oztag experience but once they got into it, they all really enjoyed it.”
Wadalba met Terrigal in the Open Boys decider, with very little separating the two sides all match.
“It was a pretty crazy final, a real nail biter. Our boys were leading late in the game, then the Terrigal boys scored a terrific try right on the buzzer to send it to extra time,” Kettle explained.
“In the drop off, it went try for try four or five times and then eventually Terrigal made a mistake and we got the win.”
Earlier in the day, the Wadalba Boys 9/10 side defeated Northlakes 6-2 in the final and will progress to the Champions of Champions tournament later this year and take on the state’s best school Oztag sides.
“They’re a team of superstars, they’re all very experienced Oztag players with a heap of talent and I think they’ll give the Champions of Champions tournament a good shake.”
In the Open Girls final, Terrigal were too good for Erina and claimed a 6-2 victory, while Erina claimed the Girls 9/10 title, beating Mackillop 4-1 in the final.
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