The wrapped up the Independent and Catholic Primary Schools under 12s state championships on Wednesday with a 14-10 grand final win over The Entrance’s Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Primary School.

It caps off a year which saw them take out the Peachey Shield, while the under 11s among them won the All-Schools State Challenge just two weeks ago.

Coach Bernard Wilson said the boys should be very proud of the year they’ve had.

“They’ve been great representatives for their school and the community, and the St Johns Junior League Club that a lot of them are associated with,” he said.

“They all contributed, they all played their roles really well. Noah Sutcliffe was named man of the match, he was outstanding as was Nate Bayliss at fullback – he was terrific. There were a lot of boys there that played really well.”

“They’re just competitors – they’re competitors in whatever they’re doing. It’s hard to teach kids that but when it’s naturally in them they bring the others along with them.”

The game was tight in the beginning but after 10 minutes the St Mary’s boys found their rhythm, running in two tries to lead 10-0 at half time.

The boys from the coast scored a “good little try off a grubber kick” to get themselves back in the game at 10-4, before St Mary’s snagged another try to extend their lead.

It was game on after the Our Lady of the Rosary boys ran in two quick tries on the back of intercepts, but in the end St Mary’s was able to hold them out.

“For kids that age it’s a massive thing, they did a great job and did their school proud,” Wilson said, also paying credit to team manager Emily Sutcliffe.

“Emily organised everything … without her none of it would have happened, none of the success,” he said.

Sutcliffe said the boys were extremely excited by the win, made all the more impressive by the amount of league they have played recently.

The side defeated teams from Corrimal and Young in Wollongong last week to progress to Wednesday’s grand final.

And many of the boys will feature in Dubbo and District Junior Rugby League grand finals this weekend.

ST MARY’S DUBBO 14 (Kaden Williams 2, Noah Sutcliffe tries, Williams, Jock Pilon goals) defeated OUR LADY OF THE ROSARY 10