Over 5,000 players took to the field for day one of the much anticipated NSW Junior State Championships in Coffs Harbour.
In scorching hot conditions, teams rose to the occasion – fuelled by ambition and determined to apply their months of preparation.
Over the course of the day, the energy and skill level never wavered, making for an excellent first day of competition.
Come early afternoon, grey clouds rolled over C.ex Stadium and teams were met with pouring rain – forcing them to quickly adapt and play wet weather footy.
NSW Oztag were thrilled to see the many smiling faces that flooded the grounds and anticipate that we’re in store for an action-packed weekend in Coffs Harbour.
Heading into day two of the tournament, the following teams currently sit top of the table in their respective Pool.
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 23 Feb in Coffs Harbour, with a record 325 teams determined to take home gold.
With teams having trained for close to four months, NSW Oztag anticipate that we are in store for some unbelievable games over the weekend.
For the first time in seven years, players are not only competing for a gold medal, but are also vying for New South Wales selection ahead of the 2024 State of Origin in September.
The stakes have been raised and teams are up for the challenge. Some are looking to go back-to-back, while others are underdogs ready to prove themselves.
The dynasty that is the Baulkham Hills Girls 17s are determined to make Oztag history as they gun for their eighth consecutive championship – having won every year since 2017 (Under 10s).
Looking to make it six in a row is the Souths Girls 14s and Central Coast Girls 15s, who have both claimed gold in their respective divisions every year since 2019.
The Central Coast Boys 13s will be striving for their fourth successive championship title, but as the standard of Oztag continues to heighten every year – there will be plenty of worthy competition striving for glory.
The premier division of our Junior tournaments – the Under 17s, are determined to lay it all on the line for their last year of Juniors. Teams worth keeping an eye on are:
Boys 17’s: Nepean, Baulkham Hills and Central Coast
Girls 17s: Baulkham Hills, Central Coast and Shellharbour.
The 2024 NSW State Cup will see Baulkham Hills chase a back-to-back Club Championship – an award for the most successful club of the tournament, across all age groups and divisions.
Following the Junior State Cup 9s-10s in Penrith, Central Coast sit top of the table on 25pts, while Nepean and Souths trail close behind in second (20pts).
NSW Oztag look forward to welcoming all teams and spectators to the beautiful Coffs Coast, for their highly-anticipated Junior State Cup tournament.
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 10am on Friday. Keep up to date with the live fixtures and ladder via SportsFix..
The 2024 NSW Junior State Cup 9s-10s Champions have been crowned, following a successful weekend of Oztag in Penrith.
NSW Oztag welcomed a record 96 teams to The Kingsway Playing Fields on Saturday 10 February, for the first tournament of 2024 – the Under 9s-10s State Championships.
Being the first State Cup for many, players took the field with unwavering enthusiasm – quick to apply their months of training and produce some spectacular games of Oztag.
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 2024 Junior State Champions.
NSW Oztag would like to thank everyone in attendance for making the first tournament of the year an enjoyable one for all involved.
Congratulations to all teams on your hard work and preparation.
At the conclusion of the tournament – Central Coast sit as current front runners for the Junior Club Championship, with Souths and Nepean trailing close behind.
NSW Oztag look forward to welcoming the 11s – 17s divisions to Coffs Harbour on Friday 23 February, where the remainder of the 2024 State Champions will be crowned.
Be sure to visit IBIMAGES for all tournament action shots. Log in using your Facebook or Google account.
The 2023 NSW Secondary School Champions have been crowned following an action-packed two days of competition in Sydney.
The Champion of Champions, held on Monday 4th and Tuesday 5th of September welcomed 105 teams to Gannons Park, Peakhurst – determined to be crowned NSW All School Champions.
The prestigious Secondary Schools event is an invitational competition for the winners and runners up from the 11 Regional tournaments held across Term 2.
Teams from as north as Tamworth, and as south as ACT, travelled to represent their school in one of the six divisions: Year 7/8 Boys or Girls, Year 9/10 Boys or Girls and Year 11/12 Boys or Girls.
The atmosphere was electric as players took the field with energy and flair, eager to re-enter their school gates as State Champions.
“With talent gathering from all across New South Wales, it was great to see the best schools compete in our biggest Secondary Schools tournament,” Tournament Director, Jordan Hollis said.
“The standard of Oztag was extremely high and all teams played in great spirits… we look forward to seeing you all at next year’s regional tournaments,” Hollis said.
Endeavour Sports High School of the Sutherland Shire region had three of their four teams qualify for the Grand Final (Year 7/8 Boys, Year 7/8 Girls and Year 9/10 Girls). In what were great displays of Oztag, two of their teams were crowned champions.
All-boys school, St Dominic’s College of the Western Sydney region were alike, with all three of their teams qualifying for the Grand Final (Year 7/8, 9/10 and 11/12 Boys) – two of which came out on top.
Below are the 2023 NSW Champion of Champions Grand Final results.
Congratulations to all teams.
Year 7/8 Boys: St Dominic’s College defeated Endeavour Sports High 5 – 4
Year 7/8 Girls: Endeavour Sports High defeated St Peters Tuggerah 5 – 1
Year 9/10 Boys: Patrician Brothers Blacktown defeated St Dominic’s College 3 – 1
Year 9/10 Girls: Endeavour Sports High defeated Central Coast Sports College 2 – 1
Year 11/12 Boys: St Dominic’s College defeated Patrician Brothers Blacktown 5 – 2
Year 11/12 Girls: St Mary Star of the Sea defeated Holy Spirit College 5 – 1
NSW Merit teams are in the process of selection, based on player performance throughout the two-day competition.
NSW Oztag would like to thank everyone in attendance for making the 2023 Champion of Champions an exceptional tournament for all.
Year 7/8 Boys – St Dominic’s CollegeYear 7/8 Girls – Endeavour Sports HighYear 9/10 Boys – Patrician BrothersYear 9/10 Girls – Endeavour Sports HighYear 11/12 Boys – St Dominic’s CollegeYear 11/12 Girls – St Mary Star of the Sea
Central Coast Oztag have secured their spot in the history books after being crowned NSW Senior Club Champions for the tenth consecutive year.
Since 2014, Central Coast Oztag (CCO) have claimed the NSW Club Champions title following the success of their teams at the Senior State Championships.
At the 2023 Senior State Cup, CCO had 12 teams qualify for Quarter Finals. Of these, eight progressed to Semis & four to the Grand Final, of which three took home gold.
Having competed in the 40s division, the Central Coast Women’s 50s were awarded gold in their respective age bracket – making it four championship titles for the club.
The club finished on 67 points, ahead of Penrith (62) and Souths (59).
Women’s 20sWomen’s 40sMen’s 40sWomen’s 50s
CCO Licensee, Charmaine Ceeney is extremely proud of the club’s success, commending all those involved over the years.
“To achieve ten years as Club Champions, particularly with the increase in the competitiveness of the different divisions, is a credit to our coaching staff and players, not to mention the families involved too,” she said.
“We could not be prouder and more indebted to our players, many up there with the best in Australia and our coaching staff who give back to our Juniors lead by Dale Berg, Adam Carlisle and Dave Rose… Central Coast Oztag are lucky to have them as they are fantastic mentors within our sporting communities,”
Images: Central Coast Oztag
When asked what has strengthened their senior teams over the years, Ceeney gave credit to the players’ willingness to give back to the junior program – to develop those coming through the ranks and foster their love for the game.
“We have had great success with a lot of players selected to represent at the highest level and are able to share the knowledge and experience with our junior teams,” Ceeney said.
“Some players then transition into the Senior program with up to ten years’ experience being coached by the best players in the game,”
“Junior players also have access to the Senior teams training, mostly done at the same venue on weekdays and weekends,” she said.
Images: Central Coast Oztag
Many of CCO’s players and coaching staff also help at local competitions – as referees, competition managers or administration.
Ceeney is extremely proud of the culture instilled in the club. With the motto, ‘Healthy Communities through Sport’, Ceeney is confident that the social aspect of the game has largely contributed to the incredible club culture at CCO.
“Our players have developed the club culture over the past twenty to thirty years… For us, it is a great opportunity to continue to develop social connections within the community,” she said.
“Each week, we have our teams playing each other at training… These matches are generally very competitive and helps with players transitioning between teams as well,”
“We do have a great feel around families all being involved too – it’s not uncommon to see whole families come down to training sessions or tournaments and seeing the children playing their own games on the side,”
Images: Central Coast Oztag
“There are not too many sports that can have this social aspect and is a credit to what Perry has created… Having the opportunity to play into your 50s and 60s, is something not too many players in other sports have the opportunity to do,” Ceeney said.
Congratulations Central Coast Oztag on such a milestone achievement – a decade of club success at a senior representative level.
For the month of May, NSW Oztag will work with the NSW Office of Sport to promote positive spectator behaviour through the 2023 Shoosh for Kids campaign.
The Shoosh for Kids campaign is a government initiative that aims to promote positive sideline behaviour at all junior sporting events across New South Wales (NSW).
The key message remains – if you don’t have anything nice to say, shoosh for kids.
The collaborative effort between NSW Oztag and the Office of Sport encourages parents, coaches, and spectators to “shoosh” negative comments at all Oztag events – from grassroot to representative levels.
Both Australian Oztag (AO) and NSW Oztag take a strong stance on poor spectator behaviour, in line with the game’s official Code of Conduct policies.
NSW Oztag Development Officer, Luke Manahan strongly advocates for the Shoosh for Kids campaign and knows the importance of making sport a safe, fun and inclusive experience for kids.
“I strongly encourage our Junior Oztag Associations to get behind this initiative and show their communities where they stand on poor spectator behaviour,” Manahan said.
“As junior sport continues to grow it is important that we create a safe and supportive environment for children to participate in sport,” he said.
Manahan encourages the Oztag community to keep their sideline behaviour positive, and make sport fun – on and off the field, to ensure kids keep coming back to junior sport.
“By raising awareness and encouraging positive behaviours from parents and spectators, we can ensure that the children leave having had a positive experience and want to return,” he said.
To help foster a fun sporting environment at your local competition, register your club HERE and access the range of FREE digital resources to use across your social channels, website, or as posters at your venues.
As junior sport gets underway again this week, NSW Oztag encourages everybody to ‘think before they speak’ – supporting players, coaches, referees and volunteers in a positive way.
For more information on the 2023 Shoosh for Kids campaign, visit the Office of Sport.
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