Forbes Public School's AFL team is celebrating successes in the PSSA knock-out and Paul Kelly Cup, as western region finalists in both competitions. The team travelled to Blacktown to compete in the Paul Kelly Cup regional final gala day on July 29. This consisted of other regional champions from western NSW,The Blue Mountains, South-west and Western Sydney. FPS were to play three pool games for the day, to qualify for the semi-finals. The first game was against Blackwell PS. They kicked an early goal that put the FPS boys on the back foot. The boy adjusted and dominated field position for the remainder of the game but unfortunately were only able to kick behinds and were narrowly defeated. The second game was against North Rocks PS. Fired up, the FPS boys were able to freely kick goals and ran away with the game. The final pool game was against Currans Hill PS, FPS in control of the game for a comfortable win. The success in the pool games enabled FPS to progress to the semi-final where they came up against Wycliffe Christian School. The boys were under a lot of pressure early on, however, they managed to defend well and only conceded two goals. In the second half they lifted and dominated field position, kicking two goals to draw level. Late in the game they had some good opportunities to kick away, but unfortunately missed, kicking two behinds which kept the game close. Thankfully, it was enough for the boys to progress to the final against Hammondville PS. The boys played out of their skins during the game. They controlled territory but unfortunately, kicked a number of behinds. FPS led the game right up until the final minute, when a Hammondville goal gave them a narrow lead. Although disappointed, the Forbes team showed excellent sportsmanship. Jack Pointon was named player of the match and received the game ball, congratulations Jack! The Paul Kelly Cup followed the PSSA Western AFL final in Parkes, where three teams were competing for the title of western champions: West Wyalong PS, Orana Heights PS and Forbes PS. There was also a mixed team of students from other schools that were trialling for the Western team. It was a sunny day but there was a strong breeze that was favouring one end and would have an impact on each game. The first game was against Orana Heights PS. With the wind in the first half the boys were able to kick two goals and restrict Orana Heights to zero. In the second half the ball spent most of the time in the back line, but with a bit of hard work the boys were able to score a goal against the wind and win the game. The second game was against the combined team of triallers. The first half was close with Forbes PS ahead at half time. Unfortunately the boys were tired after back to back games and were unable to match the energy level of their opponents, resulting in a close defeat. In the final match of the day Forbes PS played West Wyalong PS this was a really close game with both teams scoring goal-for-goal. The boys never gave up but were narrowly defeated by West Wyalong. Despite some disappointment, all our boys showed exceptional sportsmanship. Congratulations Leo Dwyer and Max Pointon on their selection in the Western AFL team and Arlie Gunn who was named as an emergency.
