Shire's 15&U girls and boys teams headed to Penrith for the CSSA State Oztag Championships. Our girls team were the defending champions and, with close to 30 girls registering for the trials, I felt we would again be in the mix at the end of the day.

The girls cruised through their four pool games without conceding a try, while scoring 16 of their own. Finishing at the top of their pool, they progressed to the semi-final against Coffs Harbour Christian School and secured a 5-0 victory. This led to a Grand Final rematch against Inaburra.

Our girls raced to a 3-0 lead in the first half with some excellent attacking football, capitalising on their superior ball skills and pace. We conceded our only try of the day with two minutes remaining in the Grand Final, securing a 3-1 victory.

I was impressed by the girls' composure under fatigue and the high level of trust they showed in the ability and efforts of their teammates. Alice K did a fabulous job leading the team. Her footy IQ, competitive nature and positive encouragement set a terrific example for her teammates.

Our boys team started strongly with convincing wins against Cedars, Waroonga and Toongabbie. Heading into our final pool game against Shellharbour Anglican School, both teams were undefeated and the winner would progress to the semi-final. Unfortunately, we fell behind early in the first half and could not bounce back against a strong Shellharbour side, who ultimately went on to win the championship.

I was a proud coach of the boys squad, who gave their all throughout the day. The boys finished a valiant second in their pool.

Thank you to Mrs Hamilton for her ongoing expertise and support of school sport, and to all our players who once again represented our School community so well, both on and off the field.

Mr Troy Dixon
Secondary School Sports Coordinator