The Port Macquarie Dolphins will have the chance to be crowned the best team in the state after qualifying for the under-16's Junior Premier League (JPL).
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They are the only northern junior league side to have qualified for the competition this year.
Coached by Wil Bowden, the group overcame a slow start against Maitland at the JPL trials, losing their first match of the round, to then hit back with a quality win over Canberra before going on to also record a victory against Coffs Harbour.
Bowden said the competition was fierce across the board.
"I thought nerves played a part in the game that we lost, but the team gave it their all in every game," he said. "We were playing against some of the best players in the state so it was a big task to make the cut.
"I'm really proud of how the team bounced back from the loss to win the next two games, it showed a lot of depth and resilience in the team."
Bowden said the team is "ecstatic" to play in the JPL this representative season as they get ready to compete in four rounds against the best country and metro teams from NSW
"It's a pretty big achievement, there's not a lot of northern junior teams that actually qualify for JPL," he said.
"Regularly, it's teams like Canberra, Illawarra, Newcastle and metro teams who qualify, so it's pretty special for a northern junior league team to make the cut."
Bowden said the team will be looking to give the other teams a "run for their money" in the JPL, with captain Jack Rumble and vice captain Sam Pagotto leading the pack.
"The competition is fierce, but I am pretty excited for the boys,"he said. "I think we've got a really competitive group of boys who are really motivated and hard-working.
"I think we do have the potential and the talent to go in there and be quite competitive. Our goal is to crack the finals this year and give the top teams a run for their money. "
Bowden said defence will be the key to success this season.
"We know we can score the points and we know that we are competitive, but we want to be able to lock down those teams that have a bit more talent and have a bit more skill," he said.
"Jack and Sam are our leaders on court and hopefully they will give us that edge over other teams."
