It's a friendship that shows the spirit of the Astley Cup.
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Emma Corcoran and Chloe Barrett have gone from hockey teammates to teachers and rival coaches in the famed tri-school tournament.
The two friends played a mountain of hockey with and against each other during their junior days - the highlight being teammates for NSW on the national stage - and now Corcoran and Barrett are teachers at Dubbo College and Orange High respectively.
On Thursday, they pitted their wits against each other and it was Barrett who came out on top as Orange scored a 7-0 hockey win to complete a dominant first day of the tie against Dubbo.
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After defeating Bathurst last week, Orange won three of the four sports on day one against Dubbo to build a commanding 134-point lead overall.
As proud as she was to see her side build such a convincing lead, Barrett was equally delighted to spend time with Corcoran again.
"The first time (we coached against each other) was last year and that was very strange and it's strange every time," she said.
"But it's great every time. The sportsmanship is always there and I know we have that respect for one another and I think we take that into the way we coach our teams and then when we play against each other.
"It's a really nice environment to be in and to be up against Em."
While Corcoran didn't compete in Astley Cup during her time as a school student in Dubbo, having a laugh with Barrett after Thursday's match showed what the competition is about.
The only downside was having Barrett claim the bragging rights once again.
"There's a bit of a rivalry between us," Corcoran laughed.
"We played together and came through the system together and now we're against each other in the Astley Cup.
"It's always good fun to catch up with her."
Despite the loss, former Australian junior representative Corcoran was a proud coach post-game.
Hockey has long been one of Orange's strengths and with no Premier League Hockey sides in Dubbo and some College players having never played the sport before this year, Corcoran's team was always the underdogs.
Orange led 4-0 at half-time and quickly scored twice more after the break and while the visitors had a mountain of possession late on, Dubbo's defence was resolute.
"The girls gave it their all. They played to the very last second," Corcoran said.
"We had girls who had never played before so, considering that, we did really well to keep it at 7-0 and I'm really proud."
Lily Piras, Claire Robinson and Molly Brown all played the full game for Dubbo and they were all singled out for praise by Corcoran for their tireless efforts after the match.
Having coached the College's hockey sides at various carnivals, Corcoran has seen the development and she added that was the most rewarding aspect of coaching.
The hockey win rounded out a hugely successful day one of competition for Orange against Dubbo.
Orange also won the netball and tennis on Thursday while Dubbo's one victory came in basketball.
"I absolutely love it," Barrett said of the annual competition.
"I've been a student myself and now I'm back as a teacher. To be honest, the Astley Cup was something that drew me back to Orange High, to teach in that setting and to be a part of that sporting competition."
The hosts have a mountain to climb on Friday but it was easy to see by the crowds at each of the four sports on Thursday, just having Astley Cup competition back in its 99th year was special for all involved.
"As a teacher, it's awesome to see the kids in a sporting context and see that school spirit showing," Corcoran said.
"Backing each other up, cheering, it's great."
Friday's action starts with the athletics at 9.15am, with the boys' soccer (12pm), girls' soccer (1.10pm) and rugby league (2.15pm) to follow.