But the boys from the small school south of Port Macquarie can hold their heads high after punching above their weight.

The loss against Tamworth on Friday came down to the final few seconds.

Kendall were leading the game 8-6 for the majority of the game but a kick was put through by Tamworth and with the clock winding down it came down to a foot race between players.

Unfortunately for Kendall the Tamworth player got to the ball first.

Coach, Chris Geary, said his players were initially disappointed and upset but he and the school couldn't have been any more proud of what they had accomplished.

"We are a school of 196 kids," he said. "Tamworth have 850. For a school our size to be able to say we finished in the top eight in the state is amazing they should all be very proud of what they accomplished."

He said injuries played a part in the loss with three players taken from the field.

"We eventually had no one else to bring on," he said. "It was played with a lot of passion and Tamworth got on a bit of a role with some penalties and lots of possession."