The NSW Senior City v Country showcased some exceptional Oztag on Saturday 29 January, with City crowned 2021 Champions.
After being postponed twice, the NSW Senior City v Country was given the green light to go ahead at Croome Sporting Complex, in Shellharbour on the NSW South Coast.
The much-anticipated tournament was the first NSW Oztag event since the state’s Covid lockdown in June last year.
The new tournament format saw a City and Country team in each division play off in a high-quality, three-game series.
Nominated from the Senior State Cup tournament in May 2021, City Country selection is an opportunity for players to merge with their region’s best and compete for the prestigious championship title.
City teams were represented by associations in the Sydney basin from Hornsby in the North, to Penrith in the West, Campbelltown in the South and over to the East Coastline. Any teams outside this border were Country.
Despite the Covid and weather-inflicted setbacks, teams took to the field with determination and camaraderie.
The standard of talent saw the tournament come down to the wire, with City claiming eight of the 14 titles, while Country claimed six.
The Men’s 30s could have gone either way with the first two games ending in a draw; however, a thrilling decider saw Country defeat City 3-2.
The Men’s 40s and Women’s Opens divisions also came down to a decider. In the Men’s 40s, City defeated Country 5-4, while in the Women’s Opens a similar outcome prevailed, with City only just defeating Country, 3-2.
City’s Men’s 20s, Women’s 20s, Mixed 20s, and Senior Mixed ended the day with a clean sweep, as did Country’s Women’s 40s and Men’s 45s.
2021 NSW Senior City v Country Series Champions:
Women’s 20s: City
Mixed 20s: City
Men’s 20s: City
Women’s Opens: City
Mixed Opens: City
Men’s Opens: Country
Mixed Seniors: City
Men’s 30s: Country
Women’s 40s: Country
Men’s 40s: City
Men’s 45s: Country
Men’s 50s: Country
Men’s 55s: Country
Men’s 60s: City
For all tournament fixtures and results, visit the Sportfix app or click here.
Congratulations to all teams on an outstanding tournament.
Tournament Director, Luke Manahan has announced that the NSW Senior City v Country has been postponed to January, 2022 due to heavy rainfall.
The South Coast has experienced heavy rainfall over the last couple of days with more rainfall forecast today (9/12) and tomorrow (10/12).
The groundsman completed an inspection this morning & he indicated the fields were unplayable and would remain unplayable on Saturday.
Regardless, Wollongong Council have since closed ALL fields.
Therefore, Australian Oztag (AO) will postpone the tournament to Saturday 29 January, 2022 at Sid Parrish Park, Figtree NSW (same venue).
Contingency plans to move the venue were considered, however fields in those councils have also been closed & other options have been negated by cricket.
We also had to consider travel arrangements by players coming from regional areas – it’s important to give these players as much notice as possible.
AO’s goal is to play this tournament to give the selected players the opportunity to represent their region; hence the postponement to a new date.
However, if the tournament cannot be completed on the 29th January it will be cancelled & the rego portion of the player fee refunded.
Australian Oztag Director of Coaching and Development, Michael Buettner officially announced the cancellation of the 2020 Trans Tasman series, due to the current COVID-19 pandemic.
“It is with great regret, Australian Oztag (AO) can officially announce the cancellation of the 2020 Trans Tasman Tournament in Auckland, New Zealand.
Unfortunately, due to the current COVID-19 lockdown, which has affected every State in varying degrees, the New Zealand ‘travel bubble’ was closed and therefore meant the tournament could no longer go ahead despite the many attempts to reschedule over the past 18 months.
Australian Oztag would like to congratulate all the players, coaches and support staff who were selected to compete in this tournament. It is always an honour to represent your country and this would have been the biggest touring party to have left our shores representing Australian Oztag.
All players and coaches will receive their playing gear courtesy of Australian Oztag as recognition of their selection in the squad, as well as the 1 year service recognition despite not having competed at the tournament.
Australian Oztag would also like to take the time to thank the players, coaches, managers and supporters for their patience, understanding and support over the past 18 months. Clearly these have been unprecedented times and we all are hoping that there is light at the end of the tunnel so we can all get back to playing as soon as possible.
Another big thank you to Kim Newton and Amanda Washington from MTA Travel who had the unenviable task of booking and rebooking over 600 players and supporters on 4 seperate occasions. Their efforts behind the scenes cannot be underestimated and their support, commitment and professionalism was apparent and ensured they were going to do all they could to get our Tagaroos teams competing at this Trans Tasman tournament.
Australian Oztag is hoping to see restrictions ease in the coming months, so players have the opportunity to enjoy our great game again. Until then, stay safe and train hard.”
Michael Buettner AO Director of Coaching and Development
The 2021 NSW Secondary School Regionals set the bar high for this year’s Champion of Champions, which has been announced postponed due to NSW Health regulations.
From March to June, NSW Oztag ran tournaments in ten regions across the state, allowing Secondary Schools the opportunity to compete for their regional title and secure an invitation to the prestigious Champion of Champions.
2021 marks the fourth year of Champion of Champions – an event that will see 115 of the best Secondary School teams play off over two days for the All-Schools State title.
The event was set to be held on Tuesday 20 and Wednesday 21 July, 2021 at the Kingsway Playing Fields, Werrington.
However, due to the extension of the NSW Government Stay at Home Order across Greater Sydney, including Central Coast, Blue Mountains, Wollongong and Shellharbour, the tournament has been postponed.
NSW Oztag are currently rescheduling the 2021 Champion of Champions to a date later in the year.
Tournament Coordinator, Jordan Hollis said that the date will likely be in Term Four, with the intention to work around the High School Certificate.
“It’s unfortunate that we are unable to run our biggest school competition in these current times, but it gives us something to still look forward to later in the year,” he said.
“The new date and venue will be confirmed once we gain more clarity on School Sport protocol,”
“The rescheduled event will remain a two-day tournament; teams will still play 6 round games, followed by qualifying Finals,” Hollis said.
Selectors will be present over the two days of competition and will name six NSW teams to verse ACT in a first of its kind inter-state School Championships.
Hollis said that as the game continues to filter through schools, the competition broadens and with that comes a greater standard of Oztag.
“With region sizes growing and new regions wanting to compete, I think this year’s Champion of Champions will be of the highest quality we’ve seen in schools to date,” Hollis said.
Hollis is delighted with the growth of the event and the opportunity it presents to Oztag’s rising stars in a school environment.
“Our first Champion of Champions event in 2017 saw 47 teams from across the state compete, this year we have 115,” Hollis said.
“Oztag is so popular among teens, so it’s great that high schools are giving students the opportunity to showcase their talent and receive recognition for it,” he said.
Champion of Champions invitations were extended to all regional Grand Finalists; both winners and runners up from the six divisions – Boys Year 7/8, Boys Year 9/10, Boys Year 11/12, as well as Girls Year 7/8, Girls Year 9/10 and Girls Year 11/12.
Secondary School Regional tournaments were held at the following ten regions:
In September 2021, the elite Oztag community will be welcomed to the beautiful Mudgee wine region to play off in an inaugural, two-day tournament – the Mixed Invitational Challenge.
The exciting new event is geared towards the best female and male players in the game, granting them the opportunity to come together and compete in a high-quality tournament on Friday 3 and Saturday 4 September, 2021 at Glen Willow Sporting Stadium, in Mudgee.
The Mixed Invitational Challenge will see 21 invited associations, based on senior competition size, enter teams in the Mixed Opens, Senior & Legends divisions.
Oztag Founder, Perry Haddock, introduced the Mixed Invitational Challenge as an opportunity for an association’s best players from the Men’s, Women’s and Mixed divisions to combine and form one elite team.
“It is a dedicated mixed tournament where players wouldn’t normally get to play with each other,” Haddock said.
“The level of competition will be extremely strong, so I’m looking forward to seeing the standard of Oztag it brings,” he said.
To hold the tournament in Mudgee came as an easy decision as it remains one of the greatest wine regions in NSW and offers high-class sporting facilities.
“It is an opportunity to not only showcase our sport in a popular country region, but support the town’s economy,” Haddock said.
“We are looking at making it a festive event with wine tasting and tours on Sunday,” he said.
Australian Oztag (AO) are humbled that the Mid-Western Regional Council have agreed to host the tournament, welcoming players and spectators to experience the culture of Mudgee and some of Australia’s oldest vineyards.
Mayor of Mid-Western Regional Council, Des Kennedy said there is so much to experience in the region from fine food and wine to boutique shopping, authentic growers markets and a brand new art gallery.
“I’d like to welcome the entire Mixed Invitational Challenge, its players and affiliates to Mudgee, and I hope you enjoy your time in our beautiful region,” Councillor Kennedy said.
“Glen Willow has been purpose-built to accommodate large-scale tournaments like the Invitational and I am delighted Oztag have selected it as the host venue for this fantastic event that will showcase some of the best players in the game,” he said.
AO General Manager, Bill Harrigan has anticipated the display of high-quality Oztag at the Mixed Invitational Challenge, eager to watch the game’s best compete.
“At tournaments we see some of our best players in the men’s & women’s divisions; Imagine when they come together and play with our best mixed players forming some incredibly strong teams,” Harrigan said.
“The skill, the ability – all in the backdrop of the beautiful Mudgee region, I can’t wait,” he said.
Tournament Overview:
Dates: Friday 3rd, Saturday 4th of September, 2021
*Maximum 14 teams in each division (two pools of seven)
*Associations can only enter ONE team in each division
Selection: Contact your association to confirm trial dates/selection process
Registration: $100 per player
Format: 6 round games + Quarter Final, Semi Final & Final
All Stars match Saturday Night
Eligibility:
All players must be over the age of 18 as of September 1st, 2021.
Each player can only play in one division
Players can only represent the association they are registered with locally; they must have played 7 games of the previous Summer 20/21 or Winter 2021 competitions.
As of 2022, both the Junior and Senior State Championship tournaments in Coffs Harbour will welcome division one teams only, with a separate division two development tournament to be held in Sydney.
Following months of revision, Australian Oztag (AO) have come to the conclusion that the NSW State Championships should return to a prestigious event between the best of the best.
As division two serves a purpose to develop associations and its players, AO General Manager, Bill Harrigan announces the inaugural NSW Club Challenge for all division two teams.
“Division two is a great concept, but its growth has overshadowed the division one entries. We need to restore the State Cup to being an elite competition featuring the best of the best,” Mr. Harrigan said.
“To ensure we don’t just disregard the division two teams, as it is a beneficial development platform, we have created the NSW Club Challenge which will feature the div two teams that would have previously competed in Coffs Harbour,” he said.
The 2022 NSW Junior State Championships which is set to be held from Thursday 10 to Sunday 13 February, 2022, will now welcome division one teams only to Coffs Harbour.
The new tournament format allows all ages, from Under 9s through to Under 17s, to compete on the same weekend in Coffs Harbour – meaning there will no longer be an Under 9s-11s tournament held at Bass Hill, Sydney.
With four days of competition, the Under 9s – 12s will play on Thursday and Friday, followed by the Under 13s – 17s who will compete on Saturday and Sunday.
Just over a month later, the NSW Senior State Championships will take place in Coffs Harbour, from Friday 18 to Sunday 20 March, 2022, strictly division one teams also.
All Division Two teams will be welcomed to the NSW Club Challenge, kicking off on Thursday 24 to Sunday 27 February, 2022 at The Kingsway Playing Fields, St Marys in Sydney.
Held over four days, the tournament will see Junior teams (9’s-17’s) play on Thursday and Friday, and Seniors on Saturday and Sunday.
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