23 Nov 2017
Last week, our school hosted an epic Oz-Tag gala day for several of our local primary schools which involved teams from Panania North, Padstow North, Hannans Road and Punchbowl all competing to win the grand final of our 2017 Primary Partners Oz-Tag Gala Day. Each school sent two teams to be a part of the day and represent their respective schools. The day began with an introduction from Wellbeing Head Teacher and MMM Coordinator Mr Garlick, and pairing each of the teams with their Joey Banks coaches and mentors. Our Year 10 and MMM students were the coaches and mentors for each of the teams competing in the gala day. They instructed the teams through skill based drills to improve fundamentals and team building exercises to improve chemistry on the field.
The drills included 3 v 2 challenges, running Oz-Tag plays to pass and score, defensive skills and tagging tactics as well as a variety of fun games that focused on improving students' communication skills and encouraging them to work together to achieve their common goals.
Sir Joseph Banks MMM student coaches and mentors in a huddle with Panania North Team 1 before the start of their match.
Several teachers commented positively on the structure of the drills and activities and the collaboration between the MMM team coaches, Year 10 student mentors and the primary school students. Mr Garlick was ecstatic about how effectively our students stepped up into the leadership roles of coaching a team of students throughout the day.
"This is just amazing. I'm really proud of how well our Year 10 students are running these stations. The drills are really thought through and the primary school students are picking them up really well and most importantly they look like they're all having fun. I am honestly so proud of what all these students have been able to achieve today. It just shows that when you give students the opportunity to step up into a leadership role, where they have responsibility for other people around them, they develop a new confidence in themselves and it leads to them and their peers to achieving excellence."
Mr Garlick happily observing the drills and activities being run by our Year 10 and 'MMM' students.
Following the drills and team building exercises, all the teams had a brush up on the rules of Oz-Tag before getting into the competition. PDHPE teacher Ms Pemberton led the discussion with the primary school students.
Mrs Pemberton outlining and explaining all the rules of the competition.
Padstow North student demonstrating the details of the rules; relating to scoring, diving and jumping whilst carrying the ball.
The games began with competitive excitement and all teams putting on a quality display of Oz-Tag skills and athleticism. Many of the games were high scoring with lots of fast-paced action. Panania North and Padstow North did exceptionally well, winning all of their games until they played off against each other in the semi-finals. The high level of play from these teams led to a great display of teamwork, strong defence and exciting scoring plays. Panania North showed their class throughout the contest, displaying outstanding teamwork and coordination. They did an excellent job of spreading the football, setting up their teammates in good scoring positions with good vision and passing. This display of high powered offense was backed up with a strong defensive effort, limiting the opposition to small gains on each play.
Hannans Road student breaking the line of the Padstow North defence and sprinting to score a fast-paced try.
Ultimately, Panania North were crowned the champions of the competition, successfully getting both of their teams into the Grand Final match.
Panania North Team 2 after winning their Semi-Final game against Padstow North. The team showed they were the best team in the competition after excellent displays of skill, athleticism, communication and teamwork.
A huge thank you to Hannans Road, Punchbowl, Padstow North and Panania North for attending, competing and being such great sports! We hope to have many more fun opportunities like this in the future.
Be sure to check out our gallery of photos from the day here:
http://www.sirjosephb-h.schools.nsw.edu.au/gallery/gala-day-greatness
A highlight video showcasing the entire Oz-Tag Gala Day is currently being worked on so stay tuned for an update over the next few weeks!