Narooma was represented at the 2017 Interbranch titles as part of the Far South Coast team that finished 10th in the competition.
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Sydney Northern Beaches (SNB) reclaimed the title from rivals Sydney after a ding dong battle on the beach over two days at Stockton SLSC.
In the final wash-up there was less than 50 points between the front runners, but the story of the championships was the Hunter Branch landing a place on the podium, ending up third overall behind SNB and Sydney. The Hunter team were flying high after the result, their best in almost 20 years.
Far North Coast Branch finished on top of the Country pointscore and were only 37 points behind the large Central Coast team, a fantastic effort from the northern contingent.
SNB’s strength shone through in the teams events on Sunday with comprehensive wins in the Open Male Taplin, Youth Female Taplin, U12 and U13 Cameron Relays, U13 Mixed Board Relay, Youth Mixed Ski Relay, and the junior Male Board Rescue Relay.
Sydney Branch team was just as committed and came across the line first in the Youth Male Taplin, U14 Cameron Relay and Open Mixed Board Relay, and gained valuable second and third place points in more than 10 other events.
Hunter athletes were on fire on their home ground, winning the U15 Cameron Relay, Youth Mixed Board Relay, junior and senior Board Rescue Relays, U12 Mixed Board Relay and the U15 Mixed Board Relay.
Hunter Team Manager Tara Neal said they have taken a different approach this year with training. “We consulted a dietician, and a mindfulness coach and have tried to create more of a team spirit. They’ve been absolutely amazing this weekend. Cheering the team on in the Taplin at the end was the icing on the cake,” she said.
While Central Coast Branch slipped from third to fourth position this year, the team put in some commendable performances taking out the Open Mixed Ski Relay, Open Female Taplin, Open Female and Male Rescue Tube Rescue.
Far North Coast were very pleased finishing hot on the heels of the Central Coast Branch.
“We’re really stoked, getting closer to the city clubs and Central Coast, it’s really lifting for the team,” said co-captain Luke Chaffer.
“We’re looking to come back bigger and better next year.”
The Lower North Coast’s best result of the final day was a comprehensive second in the Open Mixed Ski Relay.
The NSW Director of Surf Sport, Don van Keimpema, thanked the Stockton club and the Hunter Branch for hosting the Championships this year and congratulated all the athletes, team managers, coaches and officials for their efforts.
“We’re hoping to build this event to be one of the premier events in the state. The team environment we had this weekend was absolutely fantastic,” he said.
He said the performances this weekend had impressed the state selectors and the NSW Team will be announced in the coming days.
At the conclusion of the carnival the venue for the 2018 Interbranch Championships was announced as Black Head SLSC on the Lower North Coast from 8-9 December.
Results
Sydney Northern Beaches - 1220
Sydney - 1176
Hunter - 1051
Central Coast - 976
Far North Coast - 939
Illawarra - 758
South Coast - 553
North Coast - 540
Mid North Coast - 484
Far South Coast - 334
Lower North Coast - 254
