“Defence wins championships” is what our Coach Mr Ross said to us in one of the first team meetings we had last week. This became so very true as we battled our way through the week.

With a young team, a team which hadn’t exactly had the best lead up to tournament compared to other years, a gritty effort was going to be required to meet our goals for the week.

The week started well, with a strong win over Wanganui Boys' High School where we won 3-1. During this outing Josh Paku racked up all three goals, scoring one of the only hat tricks of the year. Next game of pool play was against the Auckland Champs, Rosmini College. Throughout this 1-1 draw, plenty of opportunities to seal the game came from both sides but neither were able to capitalise. A notable performance came from Patrick Ward who outplayed the classy and respected Rosmini midfield. The pool stages finished with another gutsy effort from the team, with a scrappy win over Wellington College.

First game of the playoffs was against New Plymouth Boys’ High School.  A clinical 3-1 performance advanced our side into the top 8. Next up was Christchurch Boys' High School where clean breaks and goal opportunities were plentiful. Although these chances were numerous, it wasn’t until Sammy Johnson found the net in the last ten minutes of the game until our playoff fate was decided. This 1-0 win saw us advance into the top 4, the first time ever for a King’s High School side.

Our semi final pitted us against St. Kentigern’s College, last year's victors. St Kentigern dominated possession in the opening of the game and scored a goal through their formidable penalty corner unit. Our lads were down for a majority of the game, until a textbook goal through an absolute seed from Zeke Buschl put us back in the running 1-1. Full time blew and the game went to a shootout where all members of the shootout side were able to finish effectively, alongside excellent keeping from Carl von Bismark causing the St. Kentigern Captain to miss. This win saw us through to the final against Timaru Boys’ High School.

The final was another excellent gutsy effort from the team. With Old Boys' and other supporters making the trip up to watch the spectacle, a tense and significant game was on the cards. King’s excellent defense was once again put on display as Timaru Boys'countless possession saw them look unlikely to score. Excellent keeping once again from Carl von Bismark and calm and classy defense from Ethan Booth kept a clean sheet. In the late stages of the game, two goals were scored; one through our PC unit, and other through Ronan McNeill in field play. Tom French, Zeke Buschl and Ronan McNeill continued to dominate the midfield with their outstanding workrate, leaving many of Timaru Boys' attacks unsuccessful. These goals were then defended successfully for the last eight minutes of the game, once again a testament to King’s defence, and the outstanding ticker which our side constantly exemplified.

An outstanding team to be apart of, and one which was years in the making. Couldn’t of been done without the terrific assistance from the parents and support crew, and the always effective Dave Ross - Blair Ward Coaching Managing combo.

James Nicolson