The Tamworth Taipans' hard work has paid off with some brilliant results at the NSW Junior State Cup.
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Nine teams went to the tournament at Coffs Harbour with the 16 girls and 12 boys putting in huge efforts to finish runners-up in division two.
While those two teams excelled, Tamworth Junior Oztag's Katrina Davis said the way the whole group performed was "very pleasing".
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"You can see the improvement of all of the kids," she said,
"That training the last few months has translated onto the field.
"The 12 boys that progressed to the grand final and lost in extra time, they were playing much more as a team rather than individuals and with the 16 girls, that was also evident."
Other results included the 16 boys, 14 girls and 14 boys all making the semi-finals in division two while the 13 girls were quarter finalists.
Davis said the 15 girls were competitive in division one while the 12 girls fought hard in the top division as well.
Also, the 17 boys were helped out by Port Macquarie players and were unlucky to miss a spot in the quarter finals.
"This was the first time they played together. They didn't get a win but they were all very close games and they were unlucky not to get a win," Davis said.
While the older players have had their turn, the youngest Taipans will get a chance to play at the end of the month.
The 9s-11s will play their state cup matches on February 25-28 in Sydney.
"They're still training hard," Davis said.
"We've got some talented, little players there and that'll be good to watch."
Meanwhile, Tamworth Junior Oztag kicks back off this week. Primary-aged players will play on Wednesdays while high schoolers play on Thursdays.