THEY may both hail from the calmness of seaside towns, but Port Macquarie and Wollongong found themselves dumped in a wave of rage over the weekend, at the end of their U17s boys Oztag game in Coffs Harbour.
What was meant to be a competitive spectacle of skill and speed at the State Championships, soon became a mess of swinging arms, swearing, and punching that led to a local father and son being handed life bans from the sport.
In wild scenes caught on video and shared across social media, a number of 15-year-old and 16-year-old boys, along with their parents, can be seen pushing and shoving one another after what appears to have been an expletive-laden shaking of hands, post-match.
At the centre of the footage, a Port Macquarie parent can be seen storming the field and slapping what appears to be the Wollongong coach across the face.
Another man enters the scene from the side and proceeds to hit the parent, which then causes outrage – leading to him being pushed to the ground and punched.
Parents and players can be seen squaring up to one another as the chaos continues.
No immediate action was taken against either team following the incident, and Wollongong went on to compete in the quarter-finals the next day.
Incident reports from Oztag officials and statements from persons involved have since been reviewed.
Australian Oztag CEO Chris Cowan said in a statement to media, “As a result of the preliminary and ongoing investigation three life bans and five suspensions ranging from three to five years will be placed on persons and players involved.
“In addition, the two Associations will receive fines.
“Conduct that places participants at risk will not be tolerated under any circumstances.*
Australian Oztag Tournament Director Bill Harrigan stated, “We express our sincere disappointment with the spectators, officials and players that have brought the game into disrepute when we should be celebrating a record attendance and participation at the Junior State Cup with over 340 teams and 5000 players.”
Unable to comment on the specific details from the weekend or the individuals involved, Port Macquarie Oztag representative Shelley Sprague expressed the club’s stance on bad behaviour.
“The incident is being investigated, and further context has been put forward to NSW Oztag as to how and why it escalated,” she told News Of The Area.
“Port Macquarie Junior Oztag is proudly represented across multiple divisions by participants from a diverse range of cultures and nationalities.
“Our association maintains a firm zero tolerance policy toward racial slurs or any form of vilification.
“Such behaviour is unacceptable and will not be condoned.”
Ms Sprague shared that many U17s players are long-time participants in the local Oztag competition who give back to the association by refereeing and volunteering in the canteen.
Despite the brawl, Port Macquarie Oztag had a successful weekend at the Championships.
“This year was the largest Junior State Cup by participation recorded for NSW Oztag.
“The Port Macquarie Junior Association fielded eight teams, which is the most teams from our small association to ever compete.
“All of our association teams competed with courage, determination and pride against some incredibly strong opposition.”
By Rikki WALLER
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