The NSW Junior State Championships 11s-17s has kicked off in Coffs Harbour, with the quality of Oztag taken to another level.
Welcomed with nothing but sunshine, over 4,500 players took to the field on Friday 24 February, for day one of the much anticipated Junior State Championships.
The energy and level of talent among teams made for an impressive first day of competition – the atmosphere electric, as many games proved to be quite evenly matched.
Over the course of both the A.M and P.M. sessions, the energy never wavered as players set out to apply their months of hard work and preparation.
The following teams currently sit undefeated, placing them in a promising position heading into day two of competition.
Boys 11s
Cronulla
Souths
Baulkham Hills
Heathcote Engadine
Nepean
Newcastle
ACT
Girls 11s
Souths
Cronulla
Camden
Central Coast
Baulkham Hills
Boys 12s
Central Coast
Baulkham Hills
Shellharbour
Souths
Girls 12s
Souths
Nepean
Camden
Boys 13s
Cronulla
Baulkham Hills
Central Coast
Nepean
Souths
East Hills
Girls 13s
Souths
Camden
Shellharbour
Nepean
Boys 14s
Shellharbour
Central Coast
East Hills
Nepean
Baulkham Hills
Newcastle
Souths
Easts
Girls 14s
Central Coast
Shellharbour
South West
Cronulla
Baulkham Hills
Boys 15s
Parramatta
ACT
Cronulla
Newcastle
Central Coast
Girls 15s
Baulkham Hills
Wollongong
Central Coast
Cronulla
Souths
Boys 16s
Heathcote Engadine
Souths
Cronulla
Wollongong
East Hills
Girls 16s
Baulkham Hills
Shellharbour
Cronulla
Central Coast
Boys 17s
St George
Baulkham Hills
ACT
Central Coast
Souths
Girls 17s
Wollongong
Central Coast
Cronulla
Souths
Tamworth
NSW Oztag look forward to Saturday’s remaining round games, ahead of Sunday’s Finals.
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NSW Oztag are set to welcome a record amount teams to Coffs Harbour ahead of the highly anticipated Junior State Championships 11s-17s this weekend.
The NSW Junior State Championships 11s-17s kicks off Friday 24 Feb in Coffs Harbour, with 288 teams well-prepared and determined to take home gold.
Teams will play their round games over Friday and Saturday, across both C.ex Stadium and Geoff King Oval, before Sundays Finals converge at C.ex Stadium.
NSW Oztag anticipate that we are in store for some remarkable games over the weekend, with many teams worth keeping an eye on.
Baulkham Hills Girls 16s are prepared to make history as they gun for seven championships in a row – a remarkable achievement having won every year since 2017 (Under 10s).
Souths Girls 13s will be looking to make it five in a row, while their Girls 17s will no doubt have their eyes set on re-claiming the title after Wollongong ended their 3-year reign in 2022.
The Central Coast Boys 12s, Boys 16s and Parramatta Boys 15s will all be striving for their third successive championship title, but as the standard of Oztag continues to heighten every year – there will be plenty of competition worthy of claiming victory.
The stakes are raised for the Under 17s divisions, as teams are determined to finish their last year of Juniors on a high. Hot contenders for the Boys 17’s are Baulkham Hills, Central Coast and Souths. For the Girls, Wollongong, Central Coast, Souths and Tamworth.
2022 Boys 16s Semi Final – Central Coast v Cronulla
The 2023 NSW State Cup will see Central Coast chase a 4th consecutive Club Championship – an award for the most successful club of the tournament, across all age groups and divisions.
Following the successful Junior State Cup 9s-10s in Penrith, Baulkham Hills (2022 Runners Up) and Camden sit as current front runners for the Junior Club Champions title, while Souths (2022 Runners Up) trail close behind.
NSW Oztag look forward to welcoming all teams and spectators to the beautiful Coffs Coast, for their highly-anticipated Junior State Cup tournament.
“We keep coming back because Coffs is the home of Oztag. The venue is great and can handle a tournament of this size,” Tournament Director, Bill Harrigan OAM said.
“Coffs is beautiful, so when you’re not playing, there’s plenty to do,” Harrigan said.
Be sure to check out the Ultimate Guide for all the fun stuff to do and great places to eat while on the Coffs Coast!
Teams are encouraged to book in for their official team photograph with IB Images via their online booking system, which will place them in the priority system for action shots.
Games will commence at 9.30am on Friday. Keep up to date with the live fixtures and ladder via SportsFix or our website.
The 2023 NSW Junior State Cup 9s-10s Champions were crowned on Sunday, following a successful weekend of Oztag in Penrith.
NSW Oztag welcomed 80 teams to The Kingsway Playing Fields on Saturday 11 Feb, for the first tournament of 2023 – the Under 9s-10s State Championships.
In over 30-degree heat, teams took the field with unwavering enthusiasm – quick to apply their months of training and produce some spectacular games of Oztag.
However, due to the weather conditions reaching the ‘Extreme Risk’ Zone on Saturday, a decision was made in alliance with Oztag’s Duty of Care to postpone all Saturday afternoon games to Sunday.
Despite the persisting heat, the energy was electric come day two as teams were prepared to lay it all on the line in hope of qualifying for Finals.
The crowds grew louder as games were taken to another level, evident in the numerous qualifiers that resulted in a one-point difference or headed into thrilling extra time drop offs.
Below are the Grand Final results. Congratulations to all 2023 Junior State Champions.
Boys 9s: Camden defeated Nepean 3 – 0
Girls 9s: ACT defeated Central Coast 3 – 1
Boys 10s: Highest qualifiers, Baulkham Hills were crowned champions following a 2 – 2 draw with Sutherland after extra time
Girls 10s: Camden defeated Souths 1 – 0
Credit to all winning teams, as well as Sutherland and Souths Boys 10s for finishing the tournament undefeated – an incredible achievement.
NSW Oztag would like to thank everyone in attendance for making the first of our 2023 tournaments, an enjoyable one for all involved.
Congratulations to all teams on your hard work and preparation.
At the conclusion of the tournament – Baulkham Hills and Camden sit as current front runners for the Junior Club Champions title, with Souths trailing close behind.
NSW Oztag look forward to welcoming the 11s – 17s divisions to Coffs Harbour on Friday 24 February, where the remainder of the 2023 State Champions will be crowned.
Be sure to visit IBIMAGES for all tournament action shots. Log in using your Facebook or Google account.
St George Junior Oztag have for long encouraged the development of young referees, with recent competitions proving the increasing popularity among females.
St George Junior Oztag (DragonTag) have a remarkable 14 female referees officiating their Junior competition at Scarborough Park on Thursday afternoons.
Aged between 13 and 15, plus two over-18-year-olds, these girls take to the field with confidence, enthusiasm, and a shared passion for the game.
St George Oztag Licensee, Michelle Anderson, who has been around the game for 24 years, has seen firsthand the growth in female involvement, particularly refereeing.
“Our game has encouraged female participation since it started, by creating Women’s and Mixed divisions… Our female players love playing the game and it’s great to start seeing our female participants becoming more involved in many aspects,” she said.
Anderson puts this growth in female referees down to many of them playing Oztag at a representative level, as well as the relaxed environment of the game.
“By playing representative tag, they have had more opportunities to learn and understand the rules. This has given them confidence to give refereeing a go,” she said.
“Their love of the game and the environment around our game has encouraged them to want to be more of a part of it… refereeing for them is enjoyable and a great way to earn some money,”
Anderson is hopeful that by seeing females officiating games, more young girls will be open to giving refereeing a go, regardless of whether they play at a Representative level.
St George DragonTag have make a distinct effort to encourage their players from a young age to try refereeing and ensure they receive the necessary training in order to feel confident when taking the field.
“I am very involved at ground level. I get to know my players and watch and support all teams at Representative level… I have spoken to our players from early on to encourage them to have a go at refereeing,” Anderson said.
“We offer free Theory & Practical training courses prior to the commencement of our competitions in August/September every year,” she said.
St George DragonTag is one of many associations encouraging the development of young referees, knowing very well that without them our competitions cannot go ahead.
Australian Oztag reached out to three of St George DragonTag’s wonderful female referees, Charlotte Teplicanec (14), Nadia Debbo (13) and Elizabeth Rigg (22) and asked them a few questions about their experience refereeing.
What do you enjoy most about refereeing?
Charlotte: I enjoy refereeing because it gives me an opportunity to learn and grow a greater understanding of the game and get a different perspective of the game as a ref rather than a player.
Nadia: I enjoy refereeing because I love the game of Oztag. Refereeing keeps me fit as I have to run around during the game to make sure I watch the players so I can make the correct calls. I also love teaching the new young players the rules of the game as some have never played before.
Elizabeth: I think I really enjoy seeing the kids improve from week to week as well as the joy it brings those playing.
What skills have you learnt from refereeing?
Charlotte: I have learnt how to communicate with players and make calls whilst under pressure and it has given me confidence in my calls.
Nadia: Refereeing has taught me leadership skills , to be assertive , how to work well under pressure and how to handle stressful situations such as when parents or players criticise calls that I make.
Elizabeth: I’ve learnt better communication skills and assertiveness. I’ve also learnt the rules in better depth.
Do you think these skills have helped you as a player?
Charlotte: These skills have helped me as a player as I’ve become clearer with communication to my teammates and call plays whilst the defence is putting pressure on us.
Nadia: The skills I have learned as a referee have helped me as a player to have more respect and patience to all referees when I am playing and to communicate better with my teammates.
Elizabeth: These skills have helped me gain a deeper understanding of the small rules that most players don’t know about. I’m also able to communicate to my teammates in defence better.
AO encourage all young players or those interested, to give refereeing a go. Contact your local association for all necessary information on how to get involved!
Competition numbers have skyrocketed for Newcastle Junior Oztag, as they cater for 98 teams this summer season.
When Competition Coordinator, Rhiannon Howard took over Newcastle Juniors in 2015, they had roughly 12 teams. This current summer season, they have an outstanding 98 teams registered.
The Newcastle Junior Oztag competition kicked off last Thursday 13 October, at Smith Park Broadmeadow, with divisions including Under 6s – Under 16s Boys and Girls.
Jumping from 50 teams in 2021, Rhiannon is thrilled with the growth of her Newcastle Juniors – putting the rise in numbers down to word of mouth and the dedication of her committee.
“I’ve had many parents give me great feedback saying how well-run the competition is and everyone is talking about playing Oztag at schools, along with other winter sports using Oztag as a way to keep their sporting teams together in the off season,” Rhiannon said.
“Our committee also works hard to ensure the competition is always ran smoothly, so they have also been a massive help in the recent growth of the competition,” she said.
Image Source: Newcastle Oztag Facebook page
Rhiannon has grown up around Oztag, as her parents, Jo and Brett Howard have managed Newcastle Seniors since 2001. Starting out with 17 teams and now having 140, they’ve shown firsthand what it takes to run a successful competition.
“With Mum and Dad running a competition, I understood what hard work it was to get a competition up and running,” Rhiannon said
“With their Senior competition being so successful, that became my aim as well and I’m very proud of myself and the hard work I’ve put in to this competition, along with the help from our Newcastle Oztag committee and Mum and Dad,” she said.
Every season, Rhiannon sets a goal for the number of teams she would like to have registered and without fail, exceeds that objective year after year.
This summer season being no different, Newcastle Junior numbers climbed to a starling 98 registered teams.
“This year I was aiming for 50 teams and the numbers just kept rising every single day,” Howard said.
“Unfortunately, I had to knock some teams back due to not having any lights on our fields,” she said.
Newcastle Senior Oztag are currently the largest competition in the Hunter Region, so it is great to see that same interest filter through the juniors.
“Every year more and more kids are talking about Oztag… Since many kids are now playing Oztag in their school sport, they are enjoying it so much and can’t wait for the next competition to start up,” Rhiannon said.
In terms of representative potential, Rhiannon anticipates that with more kids playing at a local level, there will be more interest for next year’s State Cup trials.
“We are hoping to take away some very competitive rep teams to State Cup next year with the talent we have running around at our Newcastle Competition,” she said.
2022 State Cup – Newcastle U14 Boys2022 State Cup – Newcastle U10 GirlsImage Source: Newcastle Oztag Facebook page
Moving forward, Rhiannon is determined to continue developing her Junior competition and gain the resources necessary to cater for numerous divisions.
“I’ll defiantly be aiming to play over two nights and have A & B divisions in all age groups – at the moment I have them in two age groups,” she said.
“I would love to be as successful as Michelle from Dragon Tag and also have some lights installed on our fields so we can accommodate both seniors and juniors over various nights, without having to knock back teams,” Rhiannon said.
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