Futsal: Four Oxley High School students to don Australian colours after winning futsal nationals

"We thought we were going to lose," 14-year-old Jorja Roach told the Leader.

"Competitions like that are set up for city teams to win," 17-year-old Lily Parsons added.

But instead, they, as part of the Far North NSW under 19s team, went through the tournament undefeated with eight wins from eight games.

Parsons and Roach were joined by fellow Oxley students Brooke Wallis and Jewels Guy in the team.

All four girls were familiar with one another through soccer, which made the task of gelling easier as some of their teammates from further afield could not attend the training sessions and were only available for the tournament itself.

After progressing steadily through the round games and semi-finals, Far North NSW were the favourites to win the grand final against the Queensland West team. True to that expectation, they prevailed 5-1 to cap off what had been a dominant run.

And it was made more satisfying for the side with the knowledge that nobody had expected them to win, let alone go through unbeaten.

Following the conclusion of the tournament, Parsons, Wallace, and Guy were named in the under 19s girls' All Star squad. A short time later, all four of the girls were named in Australian teams which will compete in the USA next July.

Guy and Roach will play in the under 16s Australian side, while Parsons and Wallace will turn out for the under 19s team.

This, the girls said, would not have been possible without the input of their school coach, Darren Desmid.

'Dessy', as he is affectionately known by the players, had a crucial impact on their development, and all four of the girls unanimously agreed that their success at nationals would not have been possible but for him.

"I wouldn't even be [in the team] if it wasn't for him," Guy said. "He got me into it, and now I'm in the Australian team? (laughs)"

"He would make sure he was there every Thursday for training, even if there was only two people who showed up," Roach said.

"And he'd always organise everything, and try to keep costs minimised," Parsons said.

Now, with the world championships in their sights, the girls know they have another mountain to climb.

"There's a bit more confidence [after winning nationals], but American teams are very good," Roach said.

"They have a lot more training and better facilities," Parsons added.

"But," Guy reminded her teammates, "we went into the last comp talking like this."

The players will undertake some fundraising to help cover the costs of their trip to the US next year. They will put up GoFundMe pages in the near future, and if any local businesses wish to sponsor the girls, they can contact Simone Parsons on 0437 821 362.

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