Boardriding Clubs from Coffs Harbour to Noosa will be looking for a top 8 finish at this weekend’s Sailor Jerry Surftag QLD Qualifier to advance to the Australian Championships. The third and final qualifying event of this year’s series will be held at Duranbah Beach with 16 Men’s teams and 6 Women’s teams expected to compete.

With the Sailor Jerry Surftag Australian Championships scheduled to be held on Sydney’s Northern Beaches in May, competition will be fierce for a top 8 finish in the Men’s and top 3 finish in the Women’s Division. Surftag has not been held on the Gold Coast since 2014 so it will be interesting to see how all the Boardriding Clubs perform in this years Series. Between 2001 and 2014, Snapper Rocks Surfriders won 6 QLD Surftag Titles with Kirra Surfriders winning 4, Le-Ba (Lennox Ballina) x 2 and D’Bah x 1.

This weekend’s event will be the first time the Women’s Division has been held at a QLD Qualifier with the host club D’Bah Boardriders the defending Australian Women’s Champions. The D’Bah team includes two sets of twins, Amiya and Brodie Doyle will surf alongside Audrey and Grace Styman-Lane with Freya Plumm the fifth member of the team.

Brodie Doyle will surf for D'Bah Boardriders

Sailor Jerry Surftag Contest Director Steve Harrison is excited about the expansion of the Surftag Series with the Women’s Division included at all events.

“Women’s surfing at club level has grown massively over the past few years and we have seen some amazing performances in the Women’s Division so far this year,” Harrison said. “It’s great to see Sailor Jerry supporting grass roots surfing for both Men and Women with a record $20,000 prize money on offer for the Women’s teams.”  

In the Men’s Division Coffs Harbour Boardriders will travel north with a strong team on paper that includes former WCT surfers Shaun Cansdell and Lee Winkler as well as Jayke Sharp, Maddison Williams and Billy Keen. Team Captain Lee Winkler is looking forward to competing at Duranbah, “It’s our clubs favourite tag team event of the year and what a perfect venue for it at D’Bah,” Winkler said.

Teams heading to Duranbah this weekend include, Coffs Harbour, Le-Ba, Cabarita, Kingscliff, D’Bah, Snapper Rocks, Kirra, Currumbin Alley, Palm Beach, Burleigh Heads, MNM (Mermaid Nobby’s Miami), North End, WindanSea and Noosa Boardriders.

So far in the Sailor Jerry Surftag Qualifying events Elouera and North Avalon have had wins in the Men’s Division with Cronulla Christian Surfers and Merewether winning the Women’s Divisions. Twenty-four Men’s teams and twelve Women’s teams will contest the Australian Championships.

The 2017 Sailor Jerry Surftag Australian Series will include Qualifying events at Cronulla, Newcastle and the Gold Coast with the Australian Championships being held on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, 13 & 14 May. Total Series prize money is $60,000 with the Men’s Australian Champions receiving $10,000 and the Women’s Champions $5,000.

2017 Sailor Jerry Surftag Australian Series:

• 4/5 March – Cronulla (Area - Bondi to Ulladulla)
• 25/26 March – Newcastle (Area – North Steyne to Port Macquarie)
• 1/2 April – Gold Coast (Area – Coffs Harbour to Noosa)
• 13/14 May – Australian Championships – Northern Beaches, Sydney

(Includes Trials for VIC, TAS, SA & WA Clubs)

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