Ang Kalatas Volume V September 2015 Issue | Page 20

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SPORTS

THE MESSAGE. BRINGING INTO FOCUS FILIPINO PRESENCE IN AUSTRALIA
www.kalatas.com.au | Volume 5 Number 12 | SEPTEMBER 2015

Fil-Aussie makes a mark in Oz Tag Football
FIL-AUSSIE

Paul R Burce, of Quakers Hill in western
Sydney, achieved the honour of being the House Captain
of the Filipino Australian Oz Tag team to compete in the
International Tag Federation [ITF] World Tag Cup in the
Sunshine Coast, Queensland from December 4 to 6.

By Violi Calvert
THE Cup will see 179
teams from 25 nations
competing.
Paul who has been
playing Oz Tag since
1998, started playing to
build the strength back in
his ankles after so many
basketball injuries. He
was advised to play a running sport and having
played rugby league during his school days he did
not think twice when a
friend asked him to play.
From 2000, Paul has
played at State and National representative level. In 2009 he was selected to be part of the victorious Rest of The World
age 35’s squad to defeat
the Australian National
Side which reigned as undefeated Champions for
years.
In 2010-11 Paul was
selected to represent Australia for the men’s over
35’s playing three test
matches against New
Zealand. He was again selected as a Shadow to rep-

resent Australia for the
2012ITF Tag World Cup.
Paul relishes being
selected in 2013 to represent NSW at the Oztag State of Origin NSW
vs QLD and for the AustralianBarbariansSquad
in 2014.
" I love the friendship and the bonding you
make with your team
mates. The last 15 years
of travelling and competing at State Cups and Nationals is like a massive
reunion,” Paul said.
“It’s different after a
game you can boast and
most of all enjoy a good
laugh about things that
went wrong during the
game over a beer or two
after the game. I feel honoured, especially from a
culture perspective I’ve
started learning more
about the Philippines
since building for the
World Cup campaign."
Paul works as a Business Analyst in a life insurance company.
"I love to still be
playing, but its taking its

toll on my 1973 frame, so
I’d love to be coaching
and managing the Philippines Oztag quest for future TAG World Cups,”
he said when asked about
his plans.
“I know for a fact that
my local association Norwest Oztag at Marayong
the team’s ratio has increased to almost 60% of
Filipinos so I truly hope
these players commit and
develop so we can increase the number of Filipinos playing at a higher
representative level."
Referred to as "Benjamin Button" or "40/20"
by friends as he looks
half his age (he’s 41),
Paul migrated to Australia with his parents and
an older sister Rosemarie when he was three.
His father Rodrigo Pena
Burce hails from Naga,
Camarines Sur while his
mother Basilisa Robles
Burce is from Quezon
City. He and wife Vanessa are parents to Noah,
4, and five-month old
Oscar.

TAG FOOTBALL is a non contact game derived from the sport of rugby league. It involves a maximum of 8 players at any one time and takes 40
minutes [2 x 20 minutes half] to play. The defender must remove one or
both tags to stop attacker’s progress. The player then holds up the tag and
drops it to the ground, at the point of the tag, marking where the play the
ball should occur. There is one marker at the play the ball. Defending players are onside seven metres from the play the ball. For more information,
visit http://www.oztag.com.au/