After two days of round-robin play, the boys progressed through to the semi-final, where they were defeated 12-nil by eventual champions Hunter. That loss set up a rematch with Polding, who edged South Coast in the pool rounds.

The boys bounced back, however, to reverse the result and claim the bronze medal with a 16-10 victory.

With the side having limited time to prepare for the competition, Devlin was most pleased with the way the boys continually improved throughout the three days.

"It was an awesome week," Devlin said.

"They were so close to being in the final, it was such a great achievement by the boys.

"They had only come together for three training sessions, so it was a great effort for the boys to come together, play as a team and gel.

"They were able to improve with each game leading into that semi-final, then the match with Polding, it was a but of a grudge match, so it was great to come back and finish on a high note."

Devlin said South Coast's success came down to their ability to play as a team, with no one player attempting to be the hero.

That team-first attitude, she believes, helped three boys, Port Kembla's Leeroy Weatherall, Cooma's Dempsey Woolf and Ulladulla's Mikey Salafia gain selection in the NSW squad.

The boys will attend a training camp in Narrabeen next week, before the squad is whittled down to a final NSW team for August's Australian Championships.

"It was an amazing achievement for all three boys," Devlin said.

"It just shows what you can do by going out there and playing as part of a team and not giving up.

"Leeroy was one of our co-captains, he brought a lot of energy to our team, getting our forwards to keep going forward. He was quite a character and one of those you need in a team to have the energy to keep going in tough times."

Devlin's South Coast side, managed by Huskisson's Darren Vidler, featured Elijah Wilson (Gunning PS), Tamaiti-Maru Willie (Gerringong PS), Jymeal McLeod (Nowra East PS), Dempsey Woolf (Cooma North PS), Leeroy Weatherall (Port Kembla PS), Harley Trick (Batemans Bay PS), Ayden Palmer (Cooma North PS), Daniel Betts (Narooma PS), Riley Dawson (Narooma PS), Lochie Ellard (Tathra PS), Cody Poetsch (Gouldburn South PS), Aeden Reeve (Bega Valley PS), Reilly Caswell (Gerringong PS), Mikey Salafia (Ulladulla PS), Troy Codey (Queanbeyan East PS), Noah Fien (Thirroul PS) and Bobby McAlpin (Pambula PS).