Over 300 teams from across the Western Rams region have participated in both primary schools rugby league competitions in 2018 and St Mary’s looms as one of 16 sides in both shield and cup finals draws.

St Mary’s won last year’s Richardson Cup, which is for year 3 and year 4 students, but that group has now qualified for the Peachey Shield in 2018 and will take on the best year 5 and year 6 teams from across the area on Wednesday.

While the 2018 Richardson Cup boys are just as talented as last year’s champion side.

Injured Penrith fullback Dylan Edwards will be on deck at Apex Oval on Wednesday while Russell Richardson, the Dubbo-born former South Sydney and Cronulla Sharks centre the cup is named after, will be on hand to present his trophy to the winners.

Western NSW regional game development manager Mick Armstrong was looking forward to finals day, with the NRL primary schools girls finals also staged at Dubbo.

“We had a day in Dubbo, one in Bourke and Bathurst for the girls and there’s eight teams from those gala days in the final, which is exciting,” he said.

Teams from Wellington, Orange, Nyngan, Condobolin, Lithgow, Forbes, Gilgandra, Oberon, Cowra and Gulargambone will compete in both boys’ competitions.

“They’re the winners and runners-up from the nine regional gala days we had in term one,” Armstrong added.

“It’s been running for over 15 years now, there’s normally around 300 teams that participate across the gala days.”