Twenty years on, Shipman was on the sideline with clipboard in hand as they beat Polding in the final in Newcastle on May 27.

They went through the eight-game tournament undefeated with their 4-0 semi-final win over South Coast and 2-0 victory in the final their most complete performances.

Port Macquarie duo Charlie Dargan and Bear Farmer played integral roles in the success at opposite ends of the field.

The coach admitted their semi-final win was their best overall performance of the tournament.

"We simply starved South Coast of any long periods of possession with strong defence and great ball control," he said.

"The 2-0 win was a scrappy affair with both teams obviously nervous but again, it was the boys efforts in defence to keep backing up that got us the trophy."

Dargan found the back of the net four times in the two finals fixtures (including both goals in the final) while goalkeeper Farmer only conceded two goals overall.

North Coast scored a total of 22 goals and Shipman said the Port Macquarie striker scored crucial goals for the side in important moments.

"He seemed to really find his groove in the important matches at the pointy end of the competition," he said.

"Bear was strong in goals and stood up with some key moments when called upon."

Shipman said it was a special competition for him personally.

"It was great to be able to help the boys to reflect on how hard it can be to win tournaments like this; 22 goals for and only two against for the tournament was an incredible achievement."

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