The Otago Boys High under-15s side sold toilet paper and cheese rolls to fund their debut Kanga Cup title and they've returned to go back to back in Canberra.
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The Dunedin-based team beat Mt Pritchard Juniors 3-1 on Tuesday morning to continue a strong start to the tournament and edge closer to another grand final appearance.
Two second half goals from Duncan Bell carried the team to victory after Ben Sinnott scored his second goal of the tournament from the penalty spot to put them up 1-0 at the end of the first half.
A group of teens raised more than $20,000 last year to pay for flights and accommodation to play at the Kanga Cup 12 months ago.
Former New Zealand international Michael McGarry has gathered a new group to repeat the effort and said fundraising helped bring the team together.
"We didn't sell cheesies this time," McGarry laughed. "But we sold raffle [tickets], boxes of toilet paper and anything else we could muster up.
"We did a lot of fundraising, the boys enjoyed the comeraderie of doing stuff together."
Otago Boys' High School are one of many international teams competing in Canberra this week, including teams from the Philippines, Singapore and South Korea.
They have beaten the Braca Academy and Mt Prichard and played out a scoreless draw with Northern Inland on Monday.
They will play against John Fawkner College and Sydney University on Wednesday before the finals begin on Thursday.
McGarry said the short trip across the ditch makes the tournament an appealing prospect for Kiwi teams.
"Australia's a reasonably easy place to travel to from New Zealand, and it's nice for the boys," McGarry said.
"It's close enough that you can bring a team over and it doesn't cost an arm and a leg.
"We love this tournament. We heard about it through the grape vine and have only heard good things about it."
The team made up of 14 and 15-year-old players spent two days in Sydney before the tournament, playing in a warm-up match against a the under-18s Asquith Boys High School side.
The Otago team lost that match 5-1 in terrible weather, but McGarry said the relationship the two schools share has been important for the player's development.
"We've got a good relationship with them. They're a state school just like us and they have visited us over in New Zealand," said the former international. They're coming back again next year or the year after, it's a good relationship."
