Going through a season undefeated is no easy feat.
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The Dubbo Kangaroos Blue under 15s are just one strep away from a perfect year and while some huge scorelines have been racked up on the way to Saturday’s grand final, the side has faced plenty of battles to get where it is.
There was times this year when the young Roos ran out on to the field with just 12 players through a mixture of injuries and a host of players achieving representing honours in 2017.
But despite that the talented batch has passed every test asked of it, as it has for a number of years now.
The core of the Jason Blake-coached outfit, the likes of Jayden Blake, Max Rumble, Michael Strydom and Jack Isbester, have played together from the under 7s and on Saturday the side will take on Orange City in the Central West Junior Rugby Union decider.
The Blue Roos has played some sparkling at rugby times this season and recorded some dominant victories and Blake said a grand final victory would be the perfect reward.
“We’ve been on top and are undefeated. But this year there has been a lot of news boys come in and seven in the 18-man squad who have been completely new to rugby,” he said.
“I think it (a grand final win) would be justification and would cap off the season.
“They've been the dominant team all year so for them to fall at the final hurdle wouldn't justify that.
“Every single player has worked really hard and put in the effort.”
Making the Roos’ challenge that bit more difficult on is the fact both Rumble and Nick Tighe will miss the match through representative commitments.
The duo will both be representing NSW Country Eagles in the first round of the Australian Rugby Union (ARU) Junior Gold competition.
Fellow Blue Roos player Connor Watts is also part of the Gold Program after scoring the honour of being selected in the Australian Indigenous side which will play in the national tournament.
While Blake confesses the absence of two of his best is a blow, his side has faced adversity throughout the year.
“There’s been a lot of good combinations but the bonus has been there’s no individuals. It’s been a team effort and we’ve continued to do that the whole way,” he said, before saying how proud he was to see the unity within his side.
“It’s fantastic to watch and it’s why you coach. It’s what makes you smile,” he said.
“You see them growing not only as young men but also seeing their skill level rise to the next level. As long as that continues and goes on then the whole team improves.
“We are confident but we know it’s going to be extremely hard against Orange City. They’ve been the other top team all year and have a number of zone players as well so we can never slacken off.”
Nine players from Blake’s side went on to play for the Central West this year.
Orange Emus hosts the grand finals on Saturday with the Blue Roos taking on City in the under 15s decider at 11am.