Oxley High rugby league co-coach Steve Porter has lauded the achievement of his players in making the quarter-finals of the University Shield.
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The school exited the statewide tournament when Sydney's Heathcote High beat them 32-6 at Scully Park on Friday, after it had been 14-6 at halftime.
As the scoreline indicates, Heathcote found a higher gear after the break - running in a series of unanswered tries.
Porter does not believe the final result reflects "how much effort our boys put in", although he concedes Heathcote "were just too good".
"They did all those little things right, and they were just better than us," he said.
Porter said a lack of games for Oxley may have hindered their performance.
He added: "But they're still all playing [with other sides] - there's no excuses."
Oxley High's effort against Heathcote was the most pleasing aspect of their performance, Porter said. "They never gave up, they put in 100 per cent, they did the best that they could."
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Porter can't recall Oxley advancing this far in the tournament previously.
"We knew they [Heathcote] were gonna be tough," he said. "When you get down to the last eight, it's gonna be tough."
Porter nominated as his best lock Cobey Potts, halfback Cobe Bone, five-eighth Brayden Reid and prop Dan Kelly.
