The Italian Oztag Association has made history by selecting 16 ladies to represent Italy at the ‘Australian Invitational Challenge’ tournament in August this year. This is Team Italy’s first-ever ladies’ side.
The ladies will be joining Italy heritage teams in Mixed Opens, Mixed Senior, and Mens 30s and will head to Coffs Harbour on the first weekend of August to compete in a tournament that features heritage representatives of 15 countries including Malta, Lebanon, The Cook Islands, Samoa, Vietnam, China, Great Britain, Ireland, and Macedonia, among others.
Australian Oztag is a non-tackling version of rugby league. A maximum of only 8 players are allowed on the field at any one time. Defenders must remove one or both tags from an opponent to stop the attacker’s progress. Women’s coach, Chris Giugni explained that “to qualify for the Italy team, a player has to have been born in Italy or have parents, grandparents, or great-grandparents with Italian citizenship.”
Allora! was invited to a mixed training session where we were able to speak to the history-making Women’s representatives. Star player Michelle Faga’s passion for the team was undeniable, saying that “This team is really special because it is the first women’s side we have ever had, so it’s really cool to have a bunch of women together, playing and representing their heritage, because that’s the first time that, that has happened for Italy.”
The equally talented Tori Zahn said that the most exciting part of this pioneering journey is “playing with the girls, being together and having such a committed team and everyone showing up every week and having that connection with the girls and our heritage is really special.”
The Mens Open 30s had a practice match against the Ireland Exiles and we had the honor of speaking to Captain Jarrah Patti. Jarrah, who is originally from Innisfail in Queensland, said that “there’s a big Italian community up there and my family is from Italy. My nonno and nonna are from Sicily.”
Jarrah’s motivational leadership style is unwavering. When asked what representing his heritage meant to him, he did not mince his words: “For me personally it’s my heritage, it means a lot to me. I’m a very proud Italian!” Jarrah, who traveled down from Queensland for training despite being sidelined with a devastating shoulder injury, was inspirational with his presence and with his words, going on to say, “I get tingles thinking about it and I’m immensely proud of my Italian heritage in every way shape and form.”
Jarrah recognizes the hardships that the Italians faced when they first immigrated to Queensland, saying that “they weren’t very well-liked and needed to integrate themselves into the community and now they are well-respected members of the Innisfail community.”
Marisa Acquasanta, whose family immigrated from Fossacesia in the province of Chieti, Abruzzo, underscored the ladies’ relationship saying that the best part of playing was “coming together as a family.” Jarrah finished in a similar vein by saying that “for me it’s more than just footy, it’s about representing your heritage.”
Italy heritage players, officials, and fans have a lot to look forward to with the ‘Australian Invitational Challenge’ held in August this year and an ‘International Tag Series’ planned for 2025. The marquee event, however, is the next Oztag World Cup which will be held in 2026. Having spoken to these teams whilst they were covered head to toe in clay after a grueling workout on a cold and muddied field, their abilities and attitudes assured me of one thing, they are already champions! (Alberto Macchione)
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