NSW Covid: Junior netball titles postponed, Gen Blues game canned

One of the biggest netball events in Australia and a rugby match featuring rising stars have fallen victim to the Sydney Covid outbreak - affecting more than 2000 kids.

Action from the 2019 Netball NSW HART Junior State Titles. The event was cancelled last year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

NSW officials are vowing to run the NSW junior championships later this year while a match between top NSW rugby teens has been videoed to send to selectors as the NSW Covid cluster causes havoc - and heartbreak - in sport.

Young athletes have been hard hit as they head into the school holidays with two eagerly anticipated events falling foul of the coronavirus outbreak in NSW.

This follows professional teams including the NSW Blues, Swans and NSW Swifts and Giants relocating out of Sydney this week.

Action from the 2019 Netball NSW HART junior state title, the last ones held as the event was cancelled in 2020.

With travelling restriction now in place in NSW, Netball NSW on Thursday postponed the junior state titles due to be played from Saturday to Monday at Penrith and Baulkham Hills.

Netball was anticipating around 2209 players plus thousands of supporters to attend the event.

The championships were to be played by young netballers from across NSW with Penrith District Netball Association and Baulkham Hills Shire Netball Association due to hosted under 12, under 13 and under 14 netballers.

Junior events help identify the next generation of Super Netball players.

Planning is now underway to work out when the Junior State Titles can be held later in the year.

“The decision to postpone the HART Junior State Titles was an immensely difficult one to make, however when you see what is happening in Sydney at the moment it is the right call,” Netball NSW CEO Tain Drinkwater said.

“First and foremost our thoughts are with the game’s youngest participants who have been working so hard in the lead-up to the event, I know this will be difficult news to hear.

“But please remember it is only a postponement at this stage so there is a silver lining. Our competitions team is already working diligently on how we can make an alternative work later in the year.

“We cannot guarantee that the competition will have the exact same format as the one currently planned, or that the new dates will work for every participant, but we are confident the Junior State Titles will take place in the coming months. We hope to have provisional details of the rescheduled event in the coming days.’’

Gen Blues players at training in Sydney this week. Pic: Toby Sinclair.

Saturday’s much-anticipate match between Gen Blues youngsters and Queensland’s best under 18s players was cancelled but more games are on the horizon.

Country players were rushed off the field and back home after the Gen Blue matches in Queensland were cancelled due to the growing Covid cluster in Sydney.

With the border shutting and preventing travel north, officials organised a game between the Gen Blues 1 and 2 squads in Sydney to give them some match play on Wednesday.

Players hailing from outside metropolitan Sydney were then rushed home to escape new restrictions banning travel to regional areas.

Gen Blues players feed into the Waratahs program.

“I think three der about eight players who had to get away quickly,” said NSW head of talent ID Andrew Cleverley.

The match in Queensland was important for players hoping to impress selectors ahead of an Australian Under 18s rugby team named for a series of test matches later this year.

Cleverley said the match between the Gen Blue 1 and II squads was videoed so selectors could see the NSW talent in action.

Other matches between top youngsters from NSW, Queensland and are also being organised by Rugby Australia if Covid restructuring allow.