It had been a while between drinks but Kildare climbed back to the top of schoolboy football with an eight-point win over Xavier High School at Robertson Oval on Wednesday.

Three goals straight after half-time put Kildare in the box seat as they held off Xavier. 6.4 (40) to 5.2 (32).

The two teams were level at half-time before goals to Mitch Bloomfield, Lewis Gooden and Brad McMillan gave Kildare a match-winning lead.

Kildare coach Peter Gaffney was proud to be able to once again call his team state champions.

“It’s exciting, we haven’t done it for a little while,” Gaffney said.

“It’s great for the boys. They’ve worked really hard and they deserve the rewards for putting in the hard work, so I’m happy for them.”

Kildare went into the day without six of their Carroll Cup winning team, including prime movers Shaun Driscoll and Jack Sase, and lost Ryan Allen early in the day to injury.

They defeated Leeton’s St Francis, Canberra’s Erindale College and Finley High School in tough conditions at McPherson Oval earlier in the day, before accounting of Xavier in the final.

“It was wet and muddy, and if you got ahead and you could shut it down, you won. There was only a goal or two in most of the games,” Gaffney said of the earlier wins.

“I was proud of the way we played. Particularly having to play three games over there in the mud, then to come here (for the final) and it’s dry. It was a good effort.” 

In an entertaining final, Riley Corbett laid the platform with a fine effort in the ruck, while Tom Anderson, Brad McMillan and Angus Cumming were very good.

For Xavier, young gun Will Chandler was impressive with three goals, while Joel Roberson was another to shine in a losing team.

Full-time

KILDARE CC (40)

3.2 6.4

XAVIER HS (32)

3.2 5.2

Goals: (Kildare) M Bloomfield 2, L Gooden 2, T Anderson, B McMillan; (Xavier HS) W Chandler 3, J Roberson, E Bakic.

Best: (Kildare) R Corbett, B McMillan, T Anderson, A Cumming, J Mascini, J Buchanan; (Xavier) J Roberson, W Chandler, A Martin, F Duryea, J Moran.