In training for the Oztag Junior State Cup (from left) Zac Green, Trent Taylor, Tahlia Tiberi, Ella Mitchell, Mark Simon, Mitchell Watts and Steph Fulwood. Photo: Robert Chappel 300113RCB04
TAMWORTH attends its second Oztag Junior State Cup this weekend at Wollongong and will be well represented, with six teams making the journey south in a competition with more than 350 teams from all over the state.
“There’s 100 more teams entered than last year,” Tamworth Junior Oztag coordinator Katrina Davis said.
Tamworth has contributed to that.
Last year they took away five teams.
“This year twe’ve got Under 9 boys (which does include a couple of girls), 10 boys, 12 boys, 15 boys, 12 girls and 16s girls,” Davis said.
“We didn’t have 9’s last year.”
The increased team numbers have forced organisers to expand the carnival to three days.
It’ll be held Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Games start at 10.30am on Friday and over the course of the weekend the teams will play anything from five to seven round games.
Then possibly finals, which Tamworth will be hoping to figure in.
Davis said there are quite a few new players going away this time, and is realistic that the competition will be tough, but said they should get some good results.
“They’ve been training well,” she said.
“And a lot of them have played for many seasons and those that went away last year know what to expect.”
The sides have been training since mid-November last year, and those who were around and could, even over the Christmas period.
They’ll have their final training runs today.
It will coincide with a registration day for the junior competition.
“With our growing numbers we’ve split the primary and secondary competitions,” Davis said.
The primary will run today and the high school tomorrow.
Last competition, 80 teams signed-up across the two school divisions.
“We were operating three fields over the other side (of the Carter St road),” Davis said.
That wasn’t really feasible to continue.
This year will also see the introduction of a 6yrs and U division.
“That will be non-competitive,” Davis said.
They’ll play what is called mini-tag.
She’s also trialling separate boys and girls’ competitions in the U10s “to see how that goes”.
For anyone whowants to play, registration is $40.