Nearly three dozen Tamworth Oztag juniors are freshly returned from a record-setting weekend in Shellharbour.
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32 locals were named across eight Northern Country Knights teams to compete in the Oztag NSW City vs Country Championships over the weekend.
It was, Tamworth Junior Oztag convenor, Katrina Davis said, an "very proud" moment for the association.
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"It's exciting," Davis said.
"It's a testament to our coaching staff and our local competition that the kids are developing their skills and getting noticed at that level."
A handful of the Knights sides qualified for the grand finals in their respective divisions, though none were fortunate enough to win. But Davis knows the local kids will benefit from the experience regardless.
"It's definitely great for their development," she said.
"It's another opportunity that our kids get to play at a high level. They can bring those skills back to the local comp and encourage others to try and look for that representative level.
"It's always an honour to get chosen by your peers to step up to the next level."
In the past, the strength of the Central Coast sides has seen players from that region dominate selections for the Knights while Tamworth was often lucky just to have a couple of players named.
This year, Davis was thrilled to see that paradigm begin to shift.
"Normally Central Coast dominate and then we might have one or two from Tamworth in these Northern Knights teams," she said.
"When Central Coast often dominate in the numbers, it's nice to have more than just token Taipans in the team ... so they can work together and they're a main part of the team rather than just on the fringes."
The Tamworth players selected for the Northern Knights are as follows:
- Boys 11 - Jack Clinton, Jaiden Wright
- Boys 12 - Bradie Hatch, Levi Gebadi (shadow)
- Boys 13 - Connor Craig, Henry Gilbert, Izaiah Craigie, Kobhan Nean, Nalani Nean, Parker O'Neile, Riley Daley, William Green (shadow)
- Boys 15 - Harry Gill, Zac Spreadborough
- Girls 11 - Sienna Ferguson, Jaylah Stanley (shadow)
- Girls 12 - Anika Boney, Ebony Pepperell, Gracie Kelly, Jacinta Dean-Hoffman, Phoebe Wiegold
- Girls 14 - Bridget Stackman (shadow), Isabella Howarth (shadow), Mia Allen (shadow)
- Girls 16 - Imogen Smith, Isabella Green, Jayda Simpson, Kasey Fullwood, Lauren Daye, Sophie Weeks, Tarnee Ingram, Violet Nicholson (shadow)
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