FOR the first time in history, a Bega school has made the final eight in the prestigious Paul Kelly Cup Aussie rules competition.
The Bega Public School girls team took part in the Public School Sports Association (PSSA) event and was thrilled to win through Far South Coast and then South Coast finals.
Teacher and coach Rob Lenon said more than 600 teams took part across NSW and was delighted to see his young charges reach the final eight.
“It is the first time that any of our schools have made the final and the feat was probably even greater because, barring a few, it was most of the girls’ first year playing,” Mr Lenon said.
The side defeated Broulee in the South Coast final last week to advance to the final, which was held at the iconic SCG on Monday.
“We played sides up to Nowra, Wollongong and south to Eden and managed to defeat all those guys,” Mr Lenon said.
Then later stages included teams from Bathurst, Hay and even Canberra.
The team played three games in the final, but unfortunately lost all three.
However, Mr Lenon said they were in close contention until the dying stages.
“They led for a majority of two of the games and then just got ran over in the final little bit,” he said.
The girls also got to watch other games from the SCG grandstand.
“We sat in the ladies pavilion for the day and that was the highlight of the girls’ trip,” Mr Lenon said.
The opportunity to play on such hallowed ground is one that would have most dads sighing with jealousy.
Mr Lenon, too, said he felt privileged to take to the field.
“I managed to try and pop a goal from about 40,” he said with a laugh.
“But just the chance to play on a huge iconic stadium, the girls lapped up every minute of it.
“[To play on that field] is an experience that the kids, particularly from this region, rarely get.”
Thanks to fundraising efforts with donations from the Bega Bombers Aussie rules club and a number of Bega businesses, the school was able to cover the cost of the trip.
“With the help of the school, the Bombers and local businesses we funded the trip and some parents joined us on the bus,” Mr Lenon said.
He described the Sydney visit as a bit of a “lightning trip”, travelling on Sunday and returning on Monday.
The school was also delighted a number of parents could be involved as it formed part of a wider community involvement the school aims to embrace.
Mr Lenon said he couldn’t be happier with his young side, but said students at the school were showing exceptional talent in a variety of activities.
“I guess we are particularly proud of the achievements of the kids making sporting teams such as this,” he said.
“But I would encourage people to come to school assemblies or jump on the Facebook page as we’ve got fantastic achievements from kids in a range of activities.”
The girls thanked the school, parents and all the businesses who supported the trip and cheered them on during the competition.
Jacob McMaster
Last Modified on 19/11/2015 15:56