The future of rugby league will be on display at Campbelltown Sports Stadium on Wednesday when, for the first time in competition history, four public school teams will line-up in the finals of the NSW Schoolboys Cup and NSW Schoolgirls Cup. The Peter Mulholland Cup is the pinnacle competition for the code, showcasing the best open age boys and girls players across the school systems. 2026 was dominated by NSW public schools. Endeavour Sports High School will take on Illawarra Sports High School in the boys’ final while Hills Sports High School will clash with Westfields Sports High School in the girls’ decider. President of the NSW Sports High Schools Association (NSWSHSA) and Principal of Endeavour Sports High School James Kozlowski said the schools would undoubtedly be showcasing future NRLW and NRL players.

“The NSWSHSA has worked very hard to ensure that all public sports high schools are excelling in their sporting programs,” Kozlowski commented “These are prestigious competitions and having four public sports high schools represented in Wednesday’s grand finals is further proof of the talent across all the schools. The NSW sports high schools continue to be an incredible pathway for future NRL and NRLW players. I’m sure that there will be many in the four teams playing on Wednesday who will reach this elite level.”

NSW public schools have been the backbone of these competitions for decades. In 2023 future NRL stars Lachie Galvin and Blaize Talagi were standouts as Westfields Sports High claimed the schoolboys’ title while current Parramatta NRLW captain Mahalia Murphy went to Hills Sports High School. Former school captain Alex Johnston was a standout during his time at Endeavour Sports High School and is now the NRL’s greatest try scorer, while another ex-student, Dolphins player Jamayne Isaako, is the current leading point scorer in the NRL. The match will be held tomorrow at Campbelltown Sports Stadium, with the girls’ final kicking off at 12.15pm and the boys’ final at 1.50pm.