COFFS Harbour’s top junior Oztag teams have taken on Australia’s finest during the Australian Junior Championships in Coffs Harbour.

The annual three-day event saw Coffs Harbour Thunder representative sides take on regional rep teams from across Australia.

Casey Cowgill was part of the Coffs Harbour Thunder Girls 16s team who won two of their opening three games.

Last weekend was her fifth national junior championship, having played in two representing her native Sydney and three representing Coffs Harbour after her family moved to the region.

The Thunder player picked out the best moment of her sides’ seven games at the national championships.

“Our first game against the Sydney Warriors we beat them 4-0 and kept them scoreless,” she said.

“We passed the ball around well, and it was the first time we’d all played together.”

In addition to the Girls 16s, the Coffs Harbour Thunder also entered teams in the Girls 12s, 13s, and Boys 16s competitions.

Coffs Harbour Thunder team manager Mel Cowgill shared with News Of The Area the satisfaction she felt in seeing the Thunder teams represent their region at the national championships.

“Seeing the game grow here has been very satisfying, as when we first came up here from Sydney there were no Coffs Harbour rep teams,” she said.

“We used to take teams from Sydney to compete at the championships in Coffs, and we said ‘It’s in Coffs, but where are the Coffs teams?’

“But now our highest has been ten rep teams, so that’s been great.”

Cowgill expressed her pride in how the Coffs Harbour teams had played against the best juniors in Australia.

“To see so many girls come together that haven’t played let alone trained together, I can’t ask for any more,” she said.

“We’re going against sides that are well-oiled machines that are picking from four different regions, so there is a bit of an underdog mentality.

“They definitely held their own, so hopefully we can build up for the State Championships here in June and with the girls training more together we will see what we can do.”

 

By Aiden BURGESS