Letty returns from injury for Sailor Jerry Surftag showdown

Australia’s best twenty-four Boardriding Clubs are heading to the Gold Coast this weekend to compete in the Sailor Jerry Surftag Australian Championships at Duranbah Beach. North Avalon Surfing Association (NASA) will be looking to go one better than last year when they finished runners-up to the Central Coasts North Shelly Boardriders.

NASA will go into the event as one of the favorites with their five-man team bolstered this week with the return of Letty Mortensen who has been out of the water injured for the past three months. Mortensen injured both his ankles whilst skiing on a family holiday in January, suffering bone bruising and ligament damage.  

NASA have named an experienced team with Mortensen joining Shane Carroll, Darcy Crump, Fraser Dovell and Chris Salisbury as they attempt to win the Title they narrowly missed out on last year. The NASA team will take plenty of confidence into the event after winning the Sailor Jerry Surftag Qualifier at Dee Why Beach earlier in the year.

Explosive natural footer Mortensen hasn’t competed since November last year at Sunset Beach, Hawaii, “It’s been a tricky start to the year being injured, I was so ready to compete and just generally come into the year strong”, Mortensen said. “I’ve just started surfing again and really looking forward to representing NASA this weekend in the Sailor Jerry. I take a lot of pride surfing for the club and being able to honour and represent North Avalon, it’s epic. We have a really good team for this final, so I’m hoping we can all do our job and win the thing”.

Letty Mortensen – North Avalon Surfing Association (Photo Bernadette McAlinden)

Queenscliff Boardriders and Newport Plus will also be competing in the event with Queenscliff’s Women’s team also making the journey north. With Australian Titles on the line in both Men’s and Women’s Divisions, defending Men’s Champions North Shelly Boardriders (Central Coast) will go into the event as No.1 seeds with D’Bah Boardriders looking to create history by winning their fourth straight Australian Title in the Women’s.

Freya Prumm, Audrey Styman-Lane, Grace Styman-Lane, Amiya Doyle and Brodie Doyle will start their Title defence in Semi Final No.1 against Queenscliff and Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula Surfriders. The Queenscliff team will include Alysse Cooper who recently won the WSL QS1000 Krui Pro in Indonesia.

Men’s teams competing include, Bronte, Elouera, Cronulla, Scarborough, Werri Beach, Queenscliff, North Avalon, Newport, Avoca, North Shelly, Merewether, Torquay, Mornington Peninsula, 13th Beach, Lennox-Ballina, Cabarita, Kingscliff, D’Bah, Snapper Rocks, Kirra, Burleigh Heads & North End.

In the Women’s Division defending champions D’Bah Boardriders will be up against, Cronulla Girls, Cronulla Christian Surfers, Queenscliff, Mornington Peninsula, Merewether, North Shelly, Currumbin Alley & North End.

2018 Sailor Jerry Surftag Australian Series

  • 13 January – Newcastle (Area - Umina to Port Macquarie)
  • 20 January – Northern Beaches (Area – Northern Beaches, Sydney)
  • 17 March – VIC & SA (Area – Victoria & South Australia)
  • 24 & 25 March – Cronulla (Area – Bondi to Ulladulla)
  • 14 & 15 April – QLD & Northern NSW (Area – Coffs Harbour to Noosa)
  • 27 & 28 April – Australian Championships – Duranbah Beach, Tweed Heads

(Includes Trials for TAS & WA Clubs)

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