The school retained its title by defeating West Kempsey Public School in the final by 31 points at Blacktown International Sports Park.

St Pat’s played in their third straight Paul Kelly Cup final on Thursday and continued the dominance of teams from the Southern NSW region by retaining the title.

The team was made up of 15 year 6 students and two year 5 students, five having been part of the winning team last year.

Coach Tony Hill was proud of his 17 players and said they all put in good performances to win the cup.

Hill also praised the competition for how it has helped footy grow.

“We played West Kempsey in the final and they were full of rugby league and union players who have started to play AFL,” Hill said.

“The school already has a big AFL interest but this win will encourage some of the boys to go on and take their footy to the next level.”

All of the Albury players were excited to meet AFL greats Brett Kirk and Paul Kelly.

“Brett Kirk watched two games with us and Paul Kelly was there for the semi-final and the final,” Hill said.

More than 1000 teams take part in the competition.