Danny Stevens, brother of Carlton midfielder Nick, coaches the side and is justifiably proud of the achievement.
"It was good for the kids’ confidence. We’ve been trying to instill in them that they’ve come a long way in a short period of time and that they can start being competitive with the division one teams," Stevens said.
"To beat the best of the best, potentially, in division one is a great effort by the lads.
"We’re going to take a lot away from the win; the kids have got a lot of self-belief now that they can actually play at the level."
Stevens’ side came back from 28 points down in the first half to record the thrilling five-point win at Henson Park in Marrickville in Sydney’s inner-west.
After the match, Vic Country coach Robert Hyde lamented the individualistic approach of his players who he felt were more concerned with catching the eye of the AFL talent scouts in attendance.
Stevens agreed that getting drafted by an AFL club was the ultimate goal for most of his squad, but said his players were well-schooled to not go chasing kicks in the national championships.
"We tell them that team success actually brings individual success and we try and instill that into them right from day one; if you’re going to be an individual you won’t play in our side," he said.
"If you actually play as a team it will bring rewards. You may have to make sacrifices to play as a team, but the rest will take care of itself. We probably proved that last year when we won the division two championships and then getting nine players either rookie-listed or drafted straight out.
"It’s no secret that people look at winning teams and if we can play as a team instead of individuals then the kids will reap the rewards."
Southern areas of New South Wales around the Riverina have long been fertile breeding grounds for AFL talent, but Stevens maintains more and more is coming through in Sydney and further north.
The current NSW/ACT team contains seven AFL scholarship holders with captain Ranga Ediriwickrama, of Sri Lankan descent, tied to Geelong.
"Ranga’s a Sydney lad from Pennant Hills and he’s come on in leaps and bounds," Stevens said of the player who will be eligible for the 2009 NAB AFL Draft.
"He’s got very clean skills, he’s a very one-take player and he’s the captain of our side. He’s led the way from day one this year and he’s a fine kid."
The NSW/ACT under-16 side has also enjoyed success recently, winning a trial match against a Queensland representative squad which Stevens said augured well for the AFL’s expansion plans in the region.
"I’m sure that over the next three or four years it will be exciting for the crop of kids that are coming through," he said.
"I’m sure that some of these kids will be more than competent enough to play AFL footy and it will be an advantage that some will get to stay at home when Western Sydney comes in."
NSW/ACT will be trying to back up last week’s result with a win over Tasmania in Launceston on Saturday.
