STFA Under 16s claim Country Cup, Under 14s runners-up

The Under 14s won four matches and lost one throughout their campaign, which ran from July 9 to July 11, while the Under 16s won five matches and drew one to claim victory in the Cup.

The younger of the two teams finished in a narrow second place on the ladder due to the for-and-against tally, while the older side finished in first with a dominant seven-point lead.

"It was a very pleasing result, and it shows that we're moving in a good direction," STFA director of football, Craig Norris, said.

Leading in to the competition, the association was confident that both sides would have a good chance in their respective divisions.

However, Norris did not predict the enormous success that both would eventually enjoy.

"I knew both teams would be competitive, but you never know how things will go," he said.

"After the first day, both coaches' feedback showed that they felt in the hunt. The 16s were quite dominant in their first couple of games, while the 14s had only dropped a game to Bathurst, who eventually beat them in the final."

The Under 14s were coached by John Edwards, while the 16s' coach was Robert Scott Sr. Both were praised by Norris for their efforts in guiding the STFA teams to strong results.

"They adapted very well to the Cup format, with three games each day," he said.

"They gelled well as a squad. They play against each other a lot and some of them play on the same teams, and being a smaller community they all know each other.

"But sometimes you can bring a rep squad together with the best players and the attitude doesn't quite gel. It's a credit to Robert with the 16s and John with the 14s that they got all the boys together from different squads and gelled them together well. It was pretty harmonious."

This year's Country Cups were played with new formats. In previous seasons, teams had to qualify through Branch Championships which, if they had a bad weekend, meant they missed out. Instead, this year, all associations were invited to compete.

"The idea behind it now is Football NSW is allowing every association to enter, so that they can have a look at all players," Norris said.

"It gives them a chance to see where you are."

Last weekend's were the second-to-last Country Cup fixtures in 2021.

The only remaining competitions are the Girls' Under 12s, Under 14s, and Under 16s, the latter two of which will be held in Goulburn.

Those events are all scheduled for October 2 to 4.

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