The squad was selected from the players that participated in the inter-schools carnival held in the last week of term one.

The squad of 42 players was picked from approximately 150 boys that participated on the day.

From the squad, a team of 22 players was selected to participate in the SAPSASA Football Carnival in Adelaide on May 19 to 23.

The boys trained well together in the weeks leading up to the carnival.

The majority of members knew each other through either school or local junior football competition and the members of the team from Roxby Downs were warmly welcomed by the other boys.

Throughout the week the boys' skill level and ability to work together as a team improved greatly.

A number of close games in the first two days could have been winnable later in the week as coach Robert Laube taught the boys a golden rule throughout the week: "the only mistake you can make on the field is if you drop your head".

The boys learnt from this.

In more than one game, the northern team found themselves down by only a few points, with less than a minute to go, however the team constantly pushed the ball forward and on the last kick of the game a goal was kicked, stealing wins from under the opposition's noses.

Nine games were played in total, and the young bodies began to tire near the end, however the boys picked up two wins on Thursday, by less than a goal both times which highlighted their determination to succeed.

A special mention must go to Jono Ed and Tyler McKenzie who were both selected to represent the All Stars team, and Slade Laube, Luke Ryan and Darcy Irvine for being awarded the coach's award for their effort on and off the field throughout the week.

Harrison Slee and Tyler McKenzie were both selected for the state squad (only boys turning 12 this year are eligible), and Tyler was chosen to be on the state team.

Every player in the team played a leading role in a game throughout the week, and it appeared all players learned how to play good footy in a well-skilled side.

Team manager Sam Lawrence was very proud of the boys' efforts, and was also very grateful to Robert Laube for the time and effort he put into coaching the team.

Kym Maule and Craig Ritter acted as goal umpire and time keeper respectively and their help was much appreciated.

A special mention must go to the parents who came and supported the boys throughout the week, applauding them off the field after every game, and providing positive encouragement to the team for the nine games.

Mr Lawrence is already looking forward to next year with a good group of young players emerging, and discussion has already been taking place in purchasing a new team set of football jumpers through local business sponsorship.

The team of this year must be commended for its efforts and behaviour, as it represented the SAPSASA northern area with pride Mr Lawrence said.