The Rhinos under 13s beat Bankstown 1-0 to win their grand final, while the under 14s defeated Southern 1-0 to take out their division.

The Riverina club’s under 15s also made the decider but lost 2-0 to the Western Mariners. The Rhinos under 12s were eliminated in the tournament’s semi-finals.

Rhinos co-ordinator and under 14 coach Anthony Vecchio said having all sides make at least the semi-finals was a wonderful effort. 

“We were close to having four teams in the grand finals, which would’ve been fantastic,” he said.

“But having three out of four sides and winning two of them is a great result.

“We couldn’t have asked for more.”

Vecchio said high temperatures tested the players’ fitness at the two-day event. 

“It was extremely hot. The boys started to feel it a bit towards the end of the weekend,” he said.

“They were wavering a bit. But they soldiered on and we managed to get away with a few wins.

“There was great football played by all four teams. We’re progressing the way we want, and it shows with the results we’re getting with the boys.”

The Rhinos won the under 13 and 14 divisions in last year’s Regional Youth League, and the club hopes to lay the foundation for more success when it opens its 2015 conference campaign against Sutherland Shire next week.

The clash shapes as a tough introduction to the season, but Vecchio said the Rhinos weren’t expecting any easy games.

“I expect and all the other coaches expect this year’s competition will be tougher than last year’s,” he said.

“There are sides in the comp from St George, South Coast, and they’re all tough, big associations.

“A lot of great players have come out of that side of Sydney.”

Vecchio, however, insists the Rhinos won’t be intimidated.

“We can only dictate how we want to play and how we want the boys to play,” he said. “We know the boys can go out there and match it with anybody.”