Eastwood U15’s have claimed back-to-back state championships in a thrilling rematch with Sydney Uni

Defence first for Eastwood U15 state champions

Eastwood U15s celebrating their second straight state championship

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Defence wins championships.

That was the driving force behind Eastwood U15s claiming their second state championship in a row.

Eastwood conceded only 15 points in their five-game run to the grand final against Sydney University, which they won in a 24-22 thriller.

“It was an incredibly close game,” said Iain Fynes-Clinton, who coached the team alongside Steven Jones.

“They’re a really big team, so we knew right from the beginning we needed to move around them and get the ball behind them.

“Our boys executed on beat.”

Adding to the atmosphere of the contest was that the clash was a rematch of the 2016 final, which Eastwood took out 44-24.

“We knew Sydney Uni set out to win the tournament,” said Mr Fynes-Clinton.

“They learned a lot of lessons from last year. It was a really tough, seesawing match but our boys stuck to the game plan and won it with their defence.

“Our focus was on having the right attitude in defence, the rest of the game will come from that.”

Eastwood also had 19 players selected in the Western Zone and Barbarians representative squads while seven were chosen for the Sydney representative team.

Eastwood’s U15s have been nominated for NewsLocal’s Service to Sport award.

The Local Sports Stars program is searching for outstanding athletes aged under 18, as well as those that love and contribute to making sport a great experience for everyone.

The program has five categories: Junior Sports Star Individual, Junior Sports Star Team, Young Sporting Spirit Individual, Young Sporting Spirit Team and Service to Sport.

To nominate someone, go to localsportsstars.com.au