MacKillop Saints have etched their names into Northern Territory schoolboy rugby league history, claiming an unforgettable grand final double at the NRL NT Schools Trophy Finals as both their Open Boys and Under 16 Boys sides were crowned Territory champions.

The remarkable achievement capped a dominant campaign for the Johnston-based club and sparked emotional celebrations as Saints players, coaches and supporters witnessed what Head Coach Matthew Sharp described as “the club’s finest hour.”

Liddle Leads Opens to Glory

The day began with the Open Boys facing 2025 Eels Cup champions Driver College in the 9-a-side decider.

Much of the pre-match attention centred on the return of captain Alex Liddle from a sternum injury, while Saints were forced to do without damaging front-rower Jordan Parfitt, sidelined with an arm injury and repurposed over on commentary duties for the day.

If there were any concerns about ring rust, Liddle quickly erased them.

The inspirational skipper crossed twice in the opening six minutes, first producing a clever dummy and burst through the middle to score beneath the posts before backing up moments later with another powerful run to give Saints an early stranglehold on the contest.

The lead ballooned to 18-0 when Under 16 star Timana Roe, playing up an age group, fielded a kick-off and sliced through the Driver defence on a stunning 60-metre return.

Many expected a repeat of Saints’ opening-round demolition of Driver, but the defending champions responded bravely, crossing twice before halftime to cut the margin to 18-10.

The contest tightened further before another rising Saint stepped into the spotlight.

Youngster Zac Waters produced a moment of magic shortly after the break, drawing defenders before flicking an audacious pass to Jyles Boulton, who finished in support to restore breathing space.

Driver refused to surrender and again closed the gap, but gave away a foolish penalty for kicking the ball away in their defensive 20 which allowed vice-captain, Cooper Moore, a tap penalty from short range which he promptly converted into a try.

Then, for the second time in the match on the subsequent kick off, Roe collected possession near the sideline and danced through defenders on a dazzling long-range run, crossing for his 17th try of the tournament and effectively putting one hand on the trophy.

Driver mounted one final charge with a late chip-and-chase try, but fittingly it was Liddle who had the final say, completing a hat-trick in the dying moments to seal a 36-22 victory.

Liddle was named Player of the Match, while Roe’s outstanding tournament earned him Player of the Series honours.

Speaking afterwards, Sharp reserved special praise for injured prop Hunter Knight, who battled through the entire contest.

“People remember the flashy tries because they’re exciting, but grand finals are won by players doing tough things when they’re tired,”

he said.

“We had blokes like Hunter Knight and Jackson Jones carrying injuries and playing big minutes and blokes like Kallen Cunningham and Sonny Watkinson doing the hard work that doesn’t always make the highlights reel. That’s what I was most proud of.”

“But in grand finals, the big efforts on the basics count just as much, if not more. All the boys were enormous for us in the middle today.”

Young Saints Dig Deep

While the Open Boys celebrated their triumph, several players had little time to enjoy it.

Judd Boulton, Gopal Mutanda, Luke Knight, Zac Waters and Timana Roe all faced the daunting task of backing up less than an hour later for the Under 16 Grand Final against long-time rivals Taminmin College.

The Saints entered the decider undefeated but fully aware of the challenge posed by the Turtles.

The perfect start arrived just three minutes in.

Halfback Harry Liddle, younger brother of Opens Captain Alex, floated a superb cut-out pass to send Judd Boulton over near the left touchline in the 3rd minute before calmly adding the conversion for a 6-0 lead.

An intense arm wrestle followed until Roe again found a way to break the deadlock, extending Saints’ advantage to ten points.

Taminmin responded with relentless pressure, camping on the Saints’ line for extended periods. Despite repeated defensive stands, the Turtles eventually broke through after a controversial scrum penalty handed them another attacking opportunity, reducing the margin to 10-6 at the break.

The second half began positively for Saints when Harry Liddle again showcased his vision, this time cutting out his second-rower to find vice-captain Tyler Heikkinen, who powered through defenders to score.

But just as Saints appeared to be taking control, the momentum swung dramatically.

A series of errors and penalties invited Taminmin back into the contest and the Turtles capitalised with two quick tries to claim their first lead of the afternoon.

With the championship slipping away, Saints needed a response.

It came through the composure of fullback Bryce Anderson and the tireless work of prop Jay Luchich, whose carries helped steady a side suddenly under immense pressure.

Then, with five minutes remaining, the breakthrough arrived.

After probing around a tiring defensive line all afternoon, Timana Roe darted from dummy-half, found a gap and dived over Taminmin’s line to score the match-winning try. Harry Liddle converted to push the score to 20-16.

The drama, however, was far from over.

Taminmin successfully recovered a short kick-off and launched one final assault. Saints survived, only to concede a late play the ball penalty that gifted the Turtles one last attacking play with only seconds remaining.

The championship hung in the balance.

A desperate chip kick bounced behind the Saints’ defensive line and appeared destined to create a grandstand finish before Judd Boulton produced one final act of determination, racing back to support Anderson at fullback by securing possession before the ball was safely booted into touch.

Seconds later, the siren sounded.

The Saints bench emptied as players flooded the field in celebration.

The Club’s Finest Hour

An emotional Sharp struggled to hide his pride following the second title of the day.

“It’s truly the club’s finest hour,” he said.

“We’ve always spoken about effort, toughness and playing for your mates,” Sharp said. “When the game got tight, those values carried us through. The scoreboard could have gone either way, but the boys never stopped working for one another and that’s something they should be incredibly proud of.”

Harry Liddle’s outstanding performance earned him Player of the Match honours, though captain Luke Knight, fullback Bryce Anderson and match-saving hero Judd Boulton were equally influential in the thrilling victory.

Perhaps most exciting for Saints supporters is what lies ahead.

Many of the side’s key contributors, including Liddle, Anderson, Boulton, Heikkinen, Gopal Mutanda, Zaiden Smith and several others remain eligible for next year’s competition, while players such as Andrew Mutanda are still only 14 years old.

For now, however, future possibilities can wait.

Wednesday belonged to the Saints.

Two grand finals. Two trophies. One historic day that will be remembered for years to come.