Youngsters from across the Mid North Coast played a series of games for fun, rather than results on April 24, while being cheered from the sidelines by passionate parents.

Girls League Tag and the new addition of Girls Under 10 Tackle were standout games with lots of rugby skills on show.

NRL game development officer Ben Stewart said participation numbers have been higher this year than in the last two years.

"We are going up each year, we are at about 2100 at the moment and I'm hopeful we will see more numbers around the first week of the competition," he said.

"Even through COVID last year our participation was good and it's a good outcome for the area. Every club has strong numbers and there is strong growth in the group three region.

"We have plenty of female competition and this year we are introducing an under 10s tackle competition for girls only.

"There's plenty of smiling faces and skills on show here this weekend, it's a great kick off for the 2021 season."

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