Oztag –
Central Coast Oztag (CCO) have done it again.
The club has pulled off back-to-back Club Championships after dominating the field at Australian Oztag’s NSW Senior State Cup.
Prolific on the NSW Oztag scene, CCO went into the revamped contest as a force to be reckoned with, with 15 teams in the mix and going for the gold.
And there was gold aplenty, with 10 teams making it into their grand finals and six coming away with the win.
CCO’s Men’s 40s, Men’s 45s, Men’s 50s, Men’s 55s and its Senior Women’s and Men’s Opens Division 2 teams all pulled it off, setting the club up to take this year’s Club Championship for the second year running.
It’s a phenomenal result for CCO, who had to make serious adjustments after the Cup was delayed by several months due to Covid.
Usually held in March, CCO Vice President, Dale Berg, said the delay meant a major reshuffle of teams.
“There were a lot of changes, but we went into the Cup confident we’d have a strong showing and every single team put in a huge effort,” Berg said.
Berg made special mention of the Senior Women and the Men’s Open Div 2’s.
“The Senior Women were just unstoppable throughout the final and their grand final game was one of the best of the day.
“For the Men’s Open Div 2’s, this was their first run out at the State Cup, so it was great to see an inexperienced side come away with the win.”
Speaking about the Men’s teams, Berg said the depth of talent in CCO’s ranks was always impressive.
Back on the Coast and riding high, Berg said the Seniors will be getting straight back into it, with their summer competitions starting from this weekend.
“All of our Senior and Junior comps will be back in a Covid-safe way and we’re looking forward to getting on with the season,” Berg said.
And with the 2021 State Cup looking like it’ll be back to regular scheduling, CCO’s Seniors could be going for the three-peat sooner than expected, with trials expected to be announced over the coming weeks.
Dilon Luke