Australian national Ultimate Frisbee team showcased in Wollongong ahead of World Champs

The national team for one of Australia’s fastest growing sports, Ultimate Frisbee, is coming to the south coast ahead of the World Championships. Meet the team and learn more about the sport.

The Goannas in action at the 2019 Ultimate Championships. Picture: Supplied

The nation’s best Ultimate Frisbee players are set to descend on Wollongong in preparation for the World Championships in July.

The Goannas are the Australian national team for the U24 opens and will be assembling in Wollongong from June 3-4 for a training camp and showcase game.

With players flying in from all over Australia, this is one of the last chances for the side to train together as a squad before flying to Nottingham, UK, for the World U24 Ultimate Championships.

Co-captain of the Goannas, Jono Keyes, has been on a campaign to spread awareness and visibility of the sport for the past few months and is excited to have the whole team travelling to his home city of Wollongong.

“It’s a campaign that’s very important to the whole frisbee community,” Keyes said.

The Australian Goannas 2023 team. Picture: Supplied

“Ultimate Frisbee is one of the fastest growing in Australia, being recognised by the International Olympic Committee since 2015.

“It’ll be a very entertaining and high quality showcase of the sport.”

Keyes started throwing frisbees with one of his current teammates Coby Ryan back in high school with no knowledge of the sport existing.

Oliver Loughnan and Jono Keyes representing Australian U18s in Manila, Philippines. Picture: Supplied

Once the pair discovered they could throw frisbees competitively, they were hooked.

“We were like dogs on a beach at first, just chasing a disc and having a great time” Keyes said.

“It’s unlocked a whole world for me.

Jono Keyes representing the Goannas in Heidelberg, Germany in 2019. Picture: Supplied

“I’ve been able to travel the world and meet so many new people.”

Keyes was a part of the Goannas team at the last World Championships in 2019 which was held in Heidelberg, Germany, in which the Australian team came fifth.

“We want to win this year,” Keyes said.

Jono Keyes representing the Goannas in Heidelberg, Germany in 2019. Picture: Supplied

“We’ve had the same head coach and coaching staff working with us since that tournament in 2019, working towards getting us towards that podium.

The tournament will be competed between 15 nations ranging from Europe to Asia to North America.

Australia will also be competing in the women’s division and the mixed division.

Oliver Loughnan and Jono Keyes representing Australian U18s in Manila, Philippines. Picture: Supplied

“We know the USA will be the team to beat again,” Keyes said.

“They have such crazy depth, there’s such a huge culture around it over there, they have people playing it from primary school through high school and college.

Jono Keyes representing the Goannas in Heidelberg, Germany in 2019. Picture: Supplied

“Whereas here, I’m an outlier in that I picked it up as early as high school, it’s just so different.”

23 Goannas have been announced for the Championships in Nottingham and there are some interesting characters among their ranks.

Coby Ryan representing Wollongong Krank at the Australian Mixed Ultimate Championships. Picture: Supplied

Co-captain Oliver Loughnan has been playing the sport since he was eight years old and runs a staggering 80km per week.

Coby Ryan has been described as ‘one of the most athletic players’ to ever grace the sport and is a nightmare to defend on the pitch with his freakish agility.

Not to be forgotten, Lucien ‘Zinger’ Noel apparently gives rousing team speeches that leave his teammates with ‘literal chills’.

The Goannas will be packing in a lot of condensed offence and defence training during their camp next weekend, working on game scenarios and getting their structures in place.

The showcase match will take place against the Australian Dingoes, the Open Age side, on Sunday June 4 at UOW Oval 4, 11am.

Full squad: Alex Young, Angus Wicks, Ben Cuthbert O’Meara, Callum Faulkner, Callum Dungey, Coby Ryan, Damon Prendergast, Edmund Fung, Ethan Foggin, Fraser Wigney, James French, James Walker, Jono Keyes, Josh Phillip, Kelvin Du, Leon Ngo, Lucien Noel, Luke Bleeser, Luke Prosser, Matthew Calder, Noah Moss, Oliver Loughnan, Tiernan Somers