No longer just for school days and birthday parties, the ancient sport of tug-of-war is alive and well with the national scene buzzing after some unlikely new champions were crowned.
Competing at the national championships for the first time since 2016, a team from Woolgoolga on the NSW Mid North Coast recently took out a host of titles, including the men's open weight.
Captain Michael Singh attributed the success to the team's real-life experience as farmers.
"We do manual work, so we're used to that sort of grit, toughness, resilience," he said.
"It doesn't always go your way … it's really no different to work sometimes mentally."
After a series of retirements and injuries in the team, the unfancied side overcame the odds to defeat the Brisbane Bulldogs, who had been champions on multiple occasions.
Mr Singh said the stalwarts from the last tilt at the title in 2016 made all the difference.
"That past experience definitely helps, having those senior players around you, just guiding you through," he said.
A second-generation competitor, Mr Singh said his father was instrumental in the team's formation.
"The oldies started back in the early 90s, it was just a bit of fun, a bit of a challenge," he said.
"Some of the guys are still with us at present, helping us train."
Brains over brawn
The group meet to train twice a week, with sessions involving gruelling practice.
In earlier times, the team would train using concrete slabs on a pulley system.
With the national championships comprising a series of matches across the day, Mr Singh said being physically prepared was important.
He said strategy was also crucial.
"It's a bit like playing chess in a way," Mr Singh said.
"Rather than showing all your moves at the beginning, you've got to sit back and see what they've got."
Teams have to consider all kinds of keys to success.
Players need to be ordered by height, with the tallest, most dependable placed at the back as the "anchor".
There is often a veteran competitor acting as the coach, standing on the sidelines watching the opposition's every move.
Even the type of shoe worn requires careful consideration.
"They have a steel cap on them, you're digging your heel in as you pull on the rope," Mr Singh said.
He said the victory was particularly sweet, given his father was involved the last time the team tasted success in 1992.
"All that hard work you've done during training, it comes to that point seeing them tumble over the line," he said.
"There's no better feeling than that."
