Tag20 team going all out to compete

Nothing is going to hold a team of young tag players back from reaching their goal this year.

The Niue under-20s Tag20 team, mostly made up of Aucklanders, is set to take on the best from across the Pacific at the Tag20 International Cup in Australia from October 17 to 20.

And 17-year-old Kingsland players Maytricx Kauhiva, Obie Lio and Paea Likiliki are ready to show them what they’re made of.

This is the second year a Niue team has travelled to the Gold Coast for the competition but it will be the first time an under-20s team is able to compete.

It was a lack of money not enthusiasm that held the young players back.

Last year teenagers like Kauhiva had to step up their game to compete in the open men’s section of the tournament. The Mt Albert Grammar student has been playing the sport for more than six years.

Incorporating the rules of sevens, rugby league and US flag football, Tag20 is a non-contact sport rising in popularity since it was introduced to New Zealand in 1996.

The Tag20 International Cup will see teams representing Fiji, Niue, Tonga, Samoa, the Cook Islands, New Zealand Maori, New Zealand, Australia and Australian Indigenous compete in a three day tournament.

Team manager Chloe Kauhiva Cuthers has every confidence the young side can cause some upsets at the competition.

‘‘We do believe that there is a lot of talent and skill in our youths in the sport of Tag20 and the Tag20 International Cup would allow the players to have the opportunity to compete at a different playing level.

‘‘It is a lot of hard work initially but it is all worth it in the end.’’