The hosts progressed through the senior boys’ pool undefeated – fending off challenges from James Sheahan Catholic High School, Orange High School and St John’s Dubbo – to book passage through to the southern finals, where they’ll play the best schools from the Riverina, Wollongong and Victoria in a four-way play-off next term.

While Dubbo Senior Campus went one step better than it did in 2017, winning this year’s western league tag crown with a thrilling 14-6 victory over Orange High School in the final.

Blayney High School won last year’s league tag crown, but failed to progress through to the decider in 2018.

National Rugby League Western NSW game development officer Dave Elvy was thrilled with the day, despite numbers being down on last year’s Country Cup.

“We had to move it to one day this year, so the senior boys were down a bit, but the league tag was great,” Elvy enthused, with 12 schools taking part in the girls’ leg of the cup.

“Everyone was happy, there was plenty of teams to make a good day of it.”

The finals of the under 13s and under 15s will be played at Parkes next week, with St Stanislaus College taking on St John’s Dubbo in the 13s and Red Bend to play St John’s in the 15s, both next Tuesday.