Both Jye’s under 14s sides and Jarred and Riley’s under 15s side won their respective first matches against Group 11 in round one of the Country Rugby League Country Championships on Saturday.

But both teams suffered the same result on Sunday - both losing their Southern Cup deciders to rivals Illawarra.

Jye’s under 14s were no match for Illawarra, losing 28-nil at Collegians Sporting Complex – while the under 15s decider was much closer.

“We went into the final against Illawarra full of confidence after a strong display against Group 11 on the Saturday,” under 15s head coach Jayson Smith said.

“Against Illawarra we started great, going up 4-nil early before the match was stopped due to an injury to our playmaker Corey Herdegen.

“As it was a neck injury, we had to wait for the ambulance to arrive, meaning the game was forced onto the other ground.

“It resumed 30 minutes later – which proved to be a little difficult to get the boys to refocus because they were worried about Corey. I reiterated that we needed to dig deep and get the result for him.”

Although the final score ended 14-4, Smith was proud of his troops, in a match he believes they very much could have won.

“Against the run of play, Illawarra scored their opening try, when they ran 90 metres to score, to make it 6-4,” he said.

“Then with 12 to go, they scored their second – at that stage we were still in it, so we chased the result, but unfortunately it didn’t come off.

“The scoreline flattered Illawarra but overall I’m proud of the way the whole team played.”

Smith felt privileged to be given the chance to coach this talented group of young players, who appear destined for greatness.

“My stars of the weekend were props Josua Coric and William Webb, Riley Wooden and Brodie Foster – who all were exceptional,” he said.

“Not to be outdone were players such as Harley Nizza, Mitchell Langford, Liam Lynch, Ryan Patsalides and co-captains Cooper Tunbridge and Kade Roberts.

“I’d also like to pay credit to my staff Steve Timms, Mick Deen and Dean Pole, who all played integral roles.”