Mackay Park was the busiest place in town over the weekend, as more than 300 junior footballers played in the Batemans Bay RLFC Junior Nines Tournament.
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Teams from Group 16, Group 7, and the Canberra region played in the two-day tournament, with each region winning at least one age group.
Group 16 saw the Batemans Bay Tigers, Bega Roosters, Moruya Sharks, Tathra Sea Eagles, Eden Tigers, Narooma Devils, Merimbula-Pambula Bulldogs, and Bombala Blue Heelers enter teams.
Group 7 had the Milton-Ulladulla Bulldogs, Culburra Dolphins, Sussex Inlet Panthers, and Jamberoo Superoos attend.
Canberra sent the Belconnen United Sharks, Tuggeranong Buffaloes, Woden Valley Rams, Valley Dragons, Queanbeyan Blues, and Gungahlin Bulls.
This year was the first time the tournament ran over two days, with the introduction of an under 10s and under 16s tournament.
The tournament started on Saturday with the under 12s and under 14s tournament. A crowd of approximately 1000 people showed up for the day to witness a full 50 games of rugby league nines.
The under 12s was won by the Valley Dragons, who defeated the Bega Roosters 26-14 in the grand final. The victory marked the second year in a row a Canberra side had won the under 12s, after the Tuggeranong Buffaloes took out the 2017 tournament.
The under 14s was the busiest tournament of the weekend, with 12 teams taking part. The Narooma Devils ended up on top of the pile, defeating the Belconnen United Sharks 16-8 in the grand final.
Saturday was unfortunately marred by an incident involving one of the players, according to organiser David Ralston.
The incident occurred at around 3pm, and involved an altercation between a parent and a player after one of the games. The incident led to a sideline ban of parents on Sunday.
The under 16s and under 10s played on the second day of the tournament, a smaller day with 14 combined teams.
The under 10s tournament was won by the Queanbeyan Blues who defeated the Tuggeranong Buffaloes 12-10 in the grand final.
Sunday was also marred by an incident, as a all-in brawl developed during a mid-morning game in the under 16s tournament.
The incident will be reported to both Group 16 and Group 7, as both clubs involved may face sanctions for their actions.
The Culburra Dolphins took out the under 16s tournament with a 22-14 victory over the Sussex Inlet Panthers in the Grand Final.
Organiser Dave Ralston praised parents and volunteers who helped make the tournament happen.
“The tournament couldn’t have been a success if it wasn’t for the Batemans Bay Tigers Junior Committee and the parents from the club who helped out during both days,” he said.
“They were running a line on the field, cooking the barbecue, and helping out in the canteen.”
