THE Inverell Saints have etched their name in history by winning the first-ever AFL North West under-14 premiership.
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Taking on competition newcomers the Glen Innes Celts, the Saints were made to work hard for their victory.
Despite leading for most of the game, it took until the final term, when back-to-back goals saw the Saints claim a 8-5-53 to 4-4-28 victory.
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Saints' coach Gerry Taveira said Saturday's victory was far from convincing.
"Full credit to Glen Innes. To see where they have come from to where they are now, they are going to be a tough team to beat in years to come," Taveira said.
"For us, this under-14 team has been about three or four years in the making and to win like we did today [Saturday] was brilliant."
Taveira said "a lot of people deserved credit" for helping get the under-14 competition off the ground.
"Our club has always dreamed of having a junior team like this," he said.
"We had the issue of having Auskick kids leaving to other codes because there was no pathway in place for them.
"Now we have got something for them and, hopefully, from this point on it can build."
Taveria said the "Saints' culture" had helped make the entry into the under-14 competition far easier for his group.
"The club is just so supportive of everyone from top to bottom," he said.
"Everyone at the club has shown a lot of support for us throughout the year and it is great to see three out of four teams make the grand final.
"Hopefully we can continue this kind of success for a few more years to come."
Celts' coach Aaron Harvey said his side's debut season had been "outstanding".
"I'm over the moon with how the kids have gone this season," Harvey said.
"They have come so far since the start of the season and I couldn't be prouder of all of them.
"We were just hoping for a finals berth, but to get to the grand final and play so well is really fantastic."
Harvey said he was hopeful the Celts could continue to grow as a club into the future.
"The planning for next season has already started, as we have thrown our hand up for an under-17 team," he said.
"For now though, I think we will take a few months off, get together for a footy trip of sorts and celebrate the success of this season.
"It's been a great year, and we can't thank our supporters and volunteers enough for all they have done."
