NELSON Bay Neptunes continue to prosper in the junior touch football representative arena.

At the recent NSW Junior State Cup Northern Conference tournament staged in Dubbo the Neptunes showcased their emerging young talent to reach the finals in six age categories.

Leading the charge was the super slick Under 18 Nelson Bay girls combination that finished runners up to champions Manly-Warringah in the Rose Cup – just a fortnight after bringing home the Peter Wilson Memorial Regional Trophy to Port Stephens.

Spearheaded by Hunter Hornets regional reps Ali Mitchell, Ava Forster, Isabelle Rawlins and Millie Barnes, the Neptunes turned in skilful displays to book a Grand Final berth after rousing victories in the preliminary rounds and finals.

Nelson Bay topped Pool B after winning all six matches against Gunnedah (9-0), Taree (11-0), Carlingford (8-2), Northern Beaches (5-4), Central Coast (4-2) and Norths Bears (7-1) before rolling Dubbo (11-2) in a quarter final and Maitland (7-2) in the semi finals.

The all conquering Manly maidens defeated Maitland 4-2, Newcastle 5-0, Dubbo 4-1, Hornsby 5-1 and 6-2 and Mudgee 6-2 to finish on top of Pool A then zoomed into the title decider with finals wins over the Bears 11-2 and Northern Beaches 10-5.

Emerging NSW Blues middle Alyssa Medved was judged Player of the Grand Final after turning in a classy performance in Manly’s 13-4 championship triumph.

It was the Neptunes’ only loss of the tournament against a mighty Manly outfit with speed and skill across the park.

Nelson Bay’s exciting Under 12 and Under 14 girls line ups underlined their potential by qualifying for the finals with spirited performances against quality opponents.

The well drilled Under 12s defeated Scone (11-0) and Manly (5-2) in a quarter final before bowing out against eventual champions Mudgee (11-2) in the semi finals.

In the Under 14 Girls division the fleet footed Neptunes toppled Doyalson (5-4) before suffering a 5-0 loss to eventual Grand Finalists Manly in a quarter final.

Nelson Bay also made an impact in the Boys divisions with the Under 10s, 12s and 14s all reaching the quarter finals with encouraging victories.

Northern Beaches tipped out the Neptunes 17-4 in the Under 10s, Doyalson edged out Nelson Bay (8-7) in the Under 12s while Wallsend eliminated the Neptunes in the Under 14s.

“Our squads again proved competitive against larger associations and made the region proud,” experienced Neptunes mentor Nicole Mitchell told News Of The Area.

“To have six of our teams qualify for the finals is a top achievement and a testament of the hard work put in by the players and coaching staff,” beamed the former Australian Emus representative.

In a further boost, promising Nelson Bay juniors Bonnie Sproule, Cruz Manning and Maebel Colley (Under 12 Girls); Bowey Manning and Zoe Smith (Under 14 Girls) and Lachlan Parker and Zeke Hay (Under 14 Boys) were also selected in the 2024 Hunter Hornets Regional squads.

By Chris KARAS