Ella Farronato’s late strike broke the deadlock after Tess Vaccari gave Griffith East an early lead in the first half.

Griffith East coach Sharon Careri was immensely proud of her team’s performance and was overwhelmed with messages of congratulations when news of the triumph reached home.

“We’ve been answering calls non stop from the school and talking to staff and teachers,” she said on Monday.

“They’re all super excited and happy for us. The girls are excited too as you can imagine. 

“It’s just jubilation now for us.”

After 352 teams entered this year’s knockout, Careri found it surreal Griffith East was the last side standing.

Careri’s girls qualified for the final with a 3-0 win over Barnsley in the knockout semi-final on Monday morning.

Vaccari (2) and Jadha Anderson-King found the net in the victory Careri believes gave her side the self-belief to go all the way.

“The girls dominated from the start and never looked like conceding a goal,” she said.

“I think that served them well going into the second match.

“Though, I must say that the second match was a lot tougher.

“But credit has to go to the other team. They were pretty good.

“In saying that, that’s what you expect for a final. You can’t have it too easy.”

The knockout win capped a big few months for Careri, who led Yenda to the Griffith District Football Association women’s premiership in September.

Careri said Griffith East’s victory was just as special for her.

“It’s a great feeling at the moment,” she said.

“I’m just so proud of the girls and what they’ve been able to do.”

Griffith East Public School girls’ football team: Niamh Wood, Lavinia Magoci, Nishu Saini, Sarah Culla, Darci Simpson, Alex Kelly, Jordan Jasnos, Ella Farronato, Jadha Anderson-King, Tess Vaccari, Bethani Castle, Ella Morrisey