COFFS Harbour Oztag players have once again taken on the nation’s finest as the region hosted the Australian Senior Championships.

Coffs Harbour Thunder teams took on the nation’s finest in the Women’s Open, Mixed Open, Mixed Senior, and Men’s 50 divisions, as visiting teams played off for national championships.

Coffs Harbour Thunder Mixed Open coach Zeta Knight has played Oztag for the past 30 years starting out in Sydney, before moving to the region last year.

She said her side had combined well at the National Championships.

“They play well as a team, and they work well together,” she said.

“The girls use the boys and the boys use the girls.

“There is no ‘I’ in team, and they work together.

“They defended really well, and they have to play together as a team because they are playing the best.”

Coach Knight said her side faced a tough challenge against the country’s top visiting teams.

“We only train two days a week and play one night a week, and we are playing against teams who train five times a week and play a lot together,” she said.

“We had a lot of injuries this weekend, and a lot of players came in because of the injuries.

“It was a very young side, as our oldest player was 28.”

Coffs Harbour will now host the 2023 NSW State Junior Championships in February, and the 2023 NSW State Senior Championships in March.

By Aiden BURGESS