OXLEY High School will join Tamworth High at the State girls’ touch finals at Gosford after a commanding second- half display against Sydney’s Ellerslie High in Tamworth yesterday.

The Oxley girls ran in five unanswered tries in the second half at Gipps Street to win the game 10-2 after the visitors led 2-1 early.

“They started well,” Oxley coach Craig Redmayne said.

“They had a couple of really fast players and that’s always going to mean space.

“But once we settled into our pattern we went well.

“We defended really well.”

Oxley had Ellerslie on the back foot throughout the second half and, thanks to some well-directed passing and smart line running, the tries began to stack up.

Kimberley Resch scored three for Oxley and Tiffany Smith also bagged a hat-trick.

Morgan Bates grabbed a double while Peta Brown and Stacy Jolliffe rounded out the scoring for the home side.

“There were some good team tries,” Redmayne said.

“You’d have to say Kimberley Resch was a standout.

“When she gets going she’s very good.

“She’s one of the best players in the State.

“She’s in the CHS side and she isn’t far off the Australian team.

“Tiff Smith, she’s only in year eight, so she’s got a lot of potential.

“But it was a team effort.”

Oxley progresses to the State finals where the 10 best teams from NSW will play for the title.

THS will also be there after it won through again.

The finals are later this month.