Played throughout the Central West, the Paul Kelly Cup has been around for a considerable amount of time.
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However, in its history Orange has rarely been represented.
On Friday (February 24) that all changed when the competition returned to the colour city on the well manicured grass of Waratahs Sports Fields.
Competing on the day was St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Bletchington Public School and Bowen Public School.
AFL Central West competition & development coordinator Casey White was understandably relieved to see the Cup's round games make its way to the town.
"It's been a long time, for context we used to have a one off round in Bathurst to act as the pathway, you might get one school from orange, maybe one and a half," he said.
"We tried to run individual town days and every year we've tried it in Orange and one school has put its name down and we had to cancel the day.
"There's three schools this year, and a few more that were keen but had to pull out due to logistics."
White added the spectacle is about ensuring that participants can gain an understanding into the game of Aussie Rules and the laws and regulations associated with it.
"For us it's all about getting the day played, getting these kids the experience and building a relationship with the schools," he said.
"They get a local day, get an option to play without any travel and it's really convenient for them and the teachers to see what footy is all about."
In the boys competition, St Mary's Giants finished first with an unbeaten run while the St Mary's Swans were second.
St Mary's continued its dominance in the girls, taking out first place while Bowen was second and Bletchington finished third.
White said the Cup rounds is also a way for the Orange Tigers to spread awareness of the club among juniors.
"It's a great opportunity for the local footy club to promote its brand and promote the under 12s team," he said.
"The winners of the round games goes through to the regional final in orange next Friday, combining the best teams from Bathurst, Dubbo, Orange, and south-west towns like Cowra and Forbes."
The Paul Kelly tournament also tied in with Orange Tigers' upcoming come and try day on Sunday March 5. All ages will be welcome from 5 to 50+ with the event starting 11am at Waratahs.
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