Kildare edged Tomaree High Scool 2-1 in a thrilling grand final but were no certainty to even progress from their pool following a shaky start. 

The Wagga zone winners opened their campaign with a wobble, drawing their first game 1-all with Mount St Benedict, before finding their feet in big wins over Mudgee High School, Bankstown Girls High School, and Narrabri High School.

The last pool game saw Kildare face off against eventual finalists Tomaree, who forced a 3-all draw to condemn Kildare to second place in Pool B.

The result saw Kildare sneak into the quarter finals against northern rivals Young High School, who went through Pool C undefeated.

However, Young who proved no match for Kildare’s firepower in a 4-0 loss.

Monte Sant Angelo were next, putting up an almighty fight in the semi final but Kildare weren’t to be denied in a 4-3 win.

The victory set up a mouth-watering grand final showdown between Kildare and Tomaree where defence reigned supreme and tries were a rarity.

Thankfully, the fairytale continued for Kildare, who finished on a high note and clinched the win.

Kildare coach Andrew Morton said every single game was a “battle”.

“I think we were chasing or behind our opposition in parts of every single game and the girls worked really hard to get back into it,” he said.

“It was a very good effort.”

Ella McFarlane was a standout during the tournament while Maddie Morton, Lucy Anderson and Jess Woods made strong contributions in a team effort.

“Those girls played particularly well but everyone made an impact,” Morton said.

“We had year 9 and year 10 students worked hard and even a few year 8 girls who played on the wing.”

Kildare’s under 15 boys side also competed with aplomb, taking out third place in their division. 

“It was just great for the school to get results like that … and a credit to Wagga’s touch football program as well,” Morton said.