The side had never lined up together, but finished runners-up at the Bathurst Cup across the weekend against the best teams in NSW.

AWFA won five straight matches, which included a penalty shootout in the semi-final, but fell 5-0 in the decider against Hills United.

Coach Brad Howard said it was a great moment for the region.

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"As we all know, the Border region really suffered more than other areas with limited sports and training being allowed in 2020," he said.

"Most of these teams we played had full competitions in 2020 and had professional entourages. We just had an incredibly talented team with a big heart, and their proud parents watching on.

"For them to come out and win five straight and make the final out of 24 of the state's best teams is such a great story for them and also our region who did it really tough for a long time."

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