COFFS Harbour’s best junior Oztag teams are ready to take on the nation’s finest while on their home turf this weekend.

The Coffs Harbour Thunder junior representative teams are set to take part in the 2021 Junior Australian Championships, which gets underway on Friday at the C.ex Coffs International Stadium.

The three day event will see Coffs Harbour teams take on other regional representative teams from across the country, featuring Australia’s best junior players between the ages of 8 to 17.

The Coffs Harbour Thunder have entered four teams in this year’s Junior Australian Championships; the girls 12s, 13s, and 16s, and the boys 16s divisions.

Last year’s national championships were postponed until February due to COVID-19.

Coffs Harbour Junior Oztag Competition Coordinator Mel Cowgill explained to News Of The Area the challenging nature of the Coffs Harbour teams’ preparations in the lead up to this year’s national titles.

“It’s been hard between COVID, school holidays and lots of rain and keeping teams together due to the competition being postponed already,” she said.

“For the past three weeks we have been training the 12s twice a week and the 16s getting together as much as possible as in this particular team we have had quite a few players drop out and had to bring in some younger players to help out,” she said.

“But we are pleased with their progress and hoping to have a strong team.

“We are hoping to fly under the radar for the 16s as a lot of our girls in this team have always played up an age so this is exciting.”

Following this weekend’s junior national championships, the 2021 Senior Australian Championships are set to be held on 18-20 March at the Ce.x Coffs International Stadium.

 

By Aiden BURGESS