The stakes were raised on day two of the 2021 Junior Australian Championships, as players laid it all on the line to secure their position in Sunday’s Finals.
Day two of the Junior Australian Championships saw our up-and-coming talents take their game to the next level.
The wet conditions did not interfere with the exhibition of speed, skill, and endurance – proving testament to the preparation of all teams.
The number of close games throughout the tournament suggests that we are in store for some quality finals tomorrow.
The following teams still sit undefeated heading into Sunday’s Finals:
Boys 9s TIGERS (+23 differential)
Girls 11s ORCAS (+45 differential)
Boys 12s TIGERS (+20 differential)
Girls 12s STINGRAYS (+28 differential)
Girls 13s VIPERS (+25 differential)
Boys 14s TIGERS (+35 differential)
Girls 14s TIGERS (+35 differential)
Boys 15s ORCAS (+30 differential)
Boys 16s CENTRAL COAST (+44 differential)
Girls 16s CENTRAL COAST (+53 differential)
Girls 17s ACT (+32 differential)
The West Sydney Tigers have taken the lead ahead of the East Coast Orcas, with the most undefeated teams (four).
Keep up to date with all live results and fixtures via website or Sportfix.
Day one of the much-anticipated Junior Australian Championships has come to a successful conclusion, with the East Coast Orcas sitting as current front runners for region champions.
It was a great first day here at the Junior Australian Championships – marking the first National event since 2019.
This weekend, Australian Oztag welcome 11 regions, 153 teams and over 2000 players to the beautiful Coffs Harbour.
With unlimited spectators in attendance, the tournament atmosphere sure felt like it did prior to Covid restrictions.
In near perfect conditions, players took to the field with great excitement and were quick to apply their months of preparation in what were spectacular games of Oztag.
At the conclusion of day one, the East Coast Orcas continue their 2019 reign as the most dominate region, with seven undefeated teams across the 18 divisions. Tigers trail closely behind, with six.
The following teams all sit undefeated, putting them in a promising position heading into day two of the tournament.
Boys 9s Tigers
Girls 9s Orcas
Boys 10s Miners
Girls 10s Tigers
Boys 11s Miners
Girls 11s Orcas
Girls 11s Stingrays
Boys 12s Tigers
Girls 12s Stingrays
Boys 13s Orcas
Girls 13s Vipers
Boys 14s Tigers
Girls 14s Orcas
Girls 14s Tigers
Boys 15s Stingrays
Boys 15s Orcas
Girls 15s ACT
Girls 15s Orcas
Girls 15s Tigers
Boys 16s Central Coast
Boys 16s ACT
Girls 16s Stingrays
Girls 16s Central Coast
Girls 17s ACT
Girls 17s Orcas
Keep up to date with all live results and fixtures via our website or Sportfix.
Players will return tomorrow to lay it all on the line for their remaining round games before Finals commence on Sunday.
Congratulations to all on a sensational first day. AO look forward to seeing what Day Two has in store.
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.
The Kiama Phantoms named Alex Boles the first recipient of the inaugural Darcy Bond Medal – in memory of the fun-loving Phantom representative.
The Kiama Oztag Phantoms and the wider Oztag community were devastated after the passing of 22-year-old, Darcy Bond in August last year.
Darcy was a passionate member of Kiama Oztag. He represented the Phantoms at State Cup level, the Vipers at Nationals and was also a current Australian Mixed 20s representative.
Pictured: Darcy Bond for the Vipers Men’s 20s
Pictured: Darcy Bond for the Australian Tagaroos Men’s 20s at the 2019 Invitational Challenge
In 2021, Kiama Oztag introduced the Darcy Bond medal – an annual award that recognises a senior representative player whose passion and devotion to the game reflects that of Darcy.
Kiama Oztag Licensee, Ross Thomas said that Darcy’s character made him the type of person everyone loved, and the type of player you wanted on your team.
“As a player, he not only had great skills, but he was just so positive… no matter what, he would lift people,” he said.
Thomas said Darcy contributed immensely to the club on a regular basis, whether it be refereeing, helping with administration or coaching representative sides.
“The comp would not have run as well as it did years ago and up until last year, without Darcy – he made the competition better,”
“He had that same positive, can-do attitude outside of playing… Not having that vibrant person around anymore is what’s so upsetting for me and so many in our community,”
“The Darcy Bond medal is an opportunity for our club to honour his memory,” he said.
Pictured: Bond Family at the presentation of the Darcy Bond Medal
Photo credit: Ross Thomas
At a special ceremony in Kiama, Thomas and the Bond family presented the inaugural medal to long-serving Phantom representative and good friend of Darcy’s, Alex Boles.
“I’m blown away, to be honest – it’s left me a little speechless,” Boles said during the presentation.
“It’s really special to receive the first-ever Darcy Bond Medal because he meant so much to both me and this great club,” Boles told the South Coast Register.
The first recipient of the Darcy Bond Medal, Alex Boles Photo credit: Ross Thomas
Each year, Phantoms coaches will gather at the NSW Senior State Cup and award the medal to a player from any senior team that reflects the same attitudes as Darcy.
“Both myself and the coaches will agree on a player who is upbeat, vibrant, encourages people and brings the team together; who may not be the best player but for example, attended all training sessions,” Thomas said.
“Whilst that recipient may not know Darcy personally, when we present the medal up there at State Cup, we will make sure everyone knows why this medal is so important and why it was named after Darcy,” he said.
Kiama Phantoms at the 2019 Senior State Cup Photo credit: Kiama Oztag Facebook Page
Darcy’s sister Whitney Schadel alongside husband, James have since launched The Elephant Crew – a mental health organisation that while helping people speak out about mental health issues, strives to make an impact on the current mental health system.
“We have values, we have goals, which are not just talk – it’s about turning that talk into action, like paying the gap for people who can’t afford to see a health professional – which in itself can sometimes take months,” James Schadel told the South Coast Register.
With the slogan ‘Life is better with you in it’, The Elephant Crew has also introduced their own merchandise with all proceeds going to a Darcy Bond memorial trust fund, which they hope will one day fund a mental health facility in Kiama.
Numbers to call if you or anyone you know needs help are:
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.
NSW Oztag paid a visit to Southwest Oztag last week and had the pleasure of chatting to License holder and Hall of Fame inductee, Paul Peel.
The Picton local has played Oztag since its inception in 1992; his association with the game has since branched into becoming South West Oztag Licensee, alongside wife, Caroline.
Paul started out playing for a local team in the first Liverpool competition and describes his introduction to the game as ‘quite comical’.
“Coming off a double ACL knee reconstruction, I played the first five games in knee calipers… I was like Robo cop,” he laughed.
From that first season, Paul was selected in the Liverpool Men’s Opens side which went on to win the second ever NSW State Cup.
Paul continued to represent Liverpool for an additional five years, before he and Caroline moved to Picton and started a family.
Come 2001, the pair kicked off Picton Oztag, which Paul both played in and went on to represent at State and National level for several years.
Pictured: Paul representing Southwest Razorbacks at Australian Championships
Southwest Oztag
As of 2005, Paul and Caroline became the official Licensees of Southwest Oztag and decided to start up competitions in Camden and the Southern Highlands.
Southwest Oztag now run senior competitions at Camden, Mittagong, Oran Park and Picton, as well as junior competitions at Moss Vale and Picton.
“We have over 300 teams at South West Oztag, with Camden seniors probably being our largest competition,” Peel said
Both Paul and Caroline are extremely proud of the growth of their competitions over the years, which are now played across various nights and venues.
“It’s lovely to attend our venues, old and new, and see how our game can branch out and be so consistently enjoyable for everyone,” Peel said.
Pictured: Paul refereeing at Picton Men’s competition
Paul made extremely clear that South West Oztag would not be where it is without his wife, Caroline and her constant work behind-the-scenes – at both a domestic and representative level.
“I would be nothing without my wife helping me… she is the backbone of the operation,” Peel said.
“Caroline and Prue do a lot of back-end work, when it comes to representative selections, uniforms and tournament paperwork,”
“We both have day jobs, so it can be quite time-consuming, but we love it,” he said
Pictured: Paul & wife, Caroline
Australian Representative
Not only is Paul a valued member of Southwest Oztag, both on and off the field, but he was also an honorable Australian representative for 19 years.
“I was fortunate enough to be selected in Australian sides on 15 occasions, between 1999 up until 2018 where I retired from Australian selection,” Peel said.
In this period, Paul represented the Australian Men’s 30’s, 35’s, and 40’s.
2015 World Cup
2016 Trans Tasman
2016 Trans Tasman
He was inducted into the AO Hall of Fame in 2013, and later recognised for his 15 years of service to the Australian Tagaroos.
“The highlight of my playing career was being named the Australian Tour Captain and Flag bearer for the 2018 World Cup, alongside fellow Hall of Famer, Michele Reaney,” Peel said.
Pictured: Paul & Michele Reaney – 2018 Australian Tour Captains
2018 World Cup
However, when asked of his fondest Oztag memories, and why he loves the game, he did not hesitate in his responses.
“My fondest memory would be playing Oztag with my children at a domestic level and coaching them at State Cup,” Peel said.
“I love the game because it accommodates everybody – all ages and skill levels can play the game and contribute,” he said.
AO wish to commend both Paul and Caroline on their continual service to the game and the growing success of Southwest Oztag.
AO General Manager, Bill Harrigan has released a statement following the NSW Government’s recent announcement on the return to community sport at 80% double vaccinations.
Hi Everyone,
Great news is Oztag will be back in 2021.
After the NSW Government announcement on Monday, what we do know is this:
Community sport will return after we hit 80% double vaccinations in the community of 16 years of age and above (mid to late October).
We know it is only for double vaxxed people until the 1st of December. This will include parents and spectators only attending if double dosed. From the 1st, all can participate & attend.
We must abide by the one person per 2 square metres or capped at 5000 people if the venue is big enough.
There has been no mention of the ages allowed to return, only that we can return when double vaxed hits 80% of the people 16 and above.
So the questioned is asked, can under 16’s play without being double vaxed? We have asked the question and waiting on confirmation.
I read it as over 16 must be double vaxed and under 16 don’t but can return. TBC
Therefore Oztag associations are gearing up to return to play for Summer 21/22.
You will need to search your local associations social media or website for details on when they will start and their registration protocols.
You can find websites via oztag.com.au & search locations.
We will continue to update detail as we are informed.
The International Tag Federation recently announced the inception of an International Tag Series to be played across three countries in 2022.
In July, the International Tag Federation (ITF) announced the second postponement of the 2021 Tag World Cup (TWC) to be held in Limerick, Ireland 2022.
However, the ITF assured nations that the postponed Tag World Cup will still be hosted by the University of Limerick and the Irish Tag Rugby Association in August, 2023.
To ensure the International players who were selected for the 2021 TWC still have the opportunity to represent their country, the ITF developed a unique event that takes COVID-19 travel restrictions into account whilst giving players international competition.
ITF Chairman, Stuart McConnell was pleased to announce the 2022 International Tag series and the three areas of the world that will host the events.
“The ITF is extremely excited to unveil the tournament and the logo that will be on proud display in Europe, Australia and New Zealand at the same time that the postponed Tag World Cup would have been played,” McConnell said.
AO General Manager and ITF Board member, Bill Harrigan, who proposed the event to the committee, said the series will grant all players the long-awaited opportunity to represent their country.
“We just don’t know when overseas travel will open up so this tournament will allow all our international players the opportunity to represent their heritage countries safely within Australia, New Zealand & Ireland,” Harrigan said.
“All the players who were selected for the original TWC 2021 will finally get the opportunity to wear their jersey and play,” he said.
The ITF ensured that eligible heritage nations will receive an invitation to this tournament in the coming weeks.
Event dates for the 2022 International Tag Series:
Europe – University of Limerick, Ireland 5th – 7th August 2022
Australia – Coffs Harbour 5th – 7th August 2022
New Zealand – Auckland, Bruce Pullman Park, 11th – 13th November 2022
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
AO General Manager, Bill Harrigan has released a statement in response to the NSW Government’s recent announcement regarding the ease of restrictions, subject to vaccination rates.
“Today, the NSW Government hinted there will be a further ease of restrictions when NSW hits 70% vaccinations in mid-October. They also said they expect to open up international travel in mid-November if we hit 80% vaccinations.
Therefore, there can be an expectation that community sport may be allowed to resume. It will probably come with restrictions like we saw last year when we returned to sport after the first lockdown. E.g. limited numbers within areas, no spectators etc. We should also consider that the Government may restrict sport to only fully vaccinated people.
So, Australian Oztag encourages its players to get vaccinated in readiness for a potential return to sport this year. We also acknowledge people have a choice but if the Government restrict participation to only fully vaccinated, we must comply.”
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