The boys have beaten all comers in the NSW small schools division and will face Cootamundra’s Sacred Heart School in Dubbo next Wednesday, August 5.

“We played them two years ago in the under 13s in the final down there,” coach Peter Ehsman said.

“They might be a different team as well, because it’s a year up.”

“It’s the first time in four years that under 16s have made it past this level,” hooker Nik House said.

Year 10 captain Will McAuliffe was set-back miserably with a dislocated shoulder during the July 23 semi-final against Oberon at Coonabarabran. 

It was a tough match and the boys agreed the other team had some big players.

“One of them looked like they he was pulling plows with his shoulders,” Noah Mallory said.

“We’d tackle them low or they were just going to run over us.”

McAuliffe will be on the sidelines with a keen eye on his team in Dubbo to back the boys for the crown.

He felt their teamwork was one of their strengths.

“I reckon it’s mateship more than anything,” he said.

House will fill in for McAuliffe’s halfback position and seemed to feel he had some big shoes to fill.

“Because our captain’s out, we’re going to have to all stick up and our forwards are going to have to do a lot,” he said.

The team did not know much about their adversaries, but it has put a little time into research.

“We’re studying them,” Mallory said. 

“We were sizing them up yesterday and they were looking pretty decent.”