The Warriors ran out 40-18 victors against the Dingoes in the decider to be crowned Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander champions on the Gold Coast on Friday night.

The Warriors are based out of the Hunter Valley and feature many players from the Maitland area including proud player-coach Ron Griffiths.

“It is a big achievement,” Griffiths said. “There has been a lot of hype in the lead up and to win it [the first Interstate Challenge] is just a surreal feeling.”

The match was played as part of the 2012 Indigenous All Stars Rugby League Festival and the Warriors were acknowledged for their efforts before the main All Stars game at Skilled Park on Saturday night.

“The next day at the All Stars game we received a bit of recognition,” Griffiths said.

“Our captain Mick Young was out in the middle for a presentation before the game which shows what sort of achievement it was.”

In the final, a try in the opening five minutes set the platform for the Warriors at the home ground of the Burleigh Bears and the attacking prowess of the Walker brothers, Cody and Ryan, ensured the visitors were triumphant.

“We always seemed to have them where we wanted them,” Griffiths said.

“Our errors kept them in the game but we ran away with it in the end.”

Darcy Etrich was judged man-of-the-match by an independent panel and also picked up the players’ player accolade from his Warriors teammates.

Etrich was one of six Maitland Pickers players in the Warriors squad joining the likes of Joby Patten, Dan Randall, Josh Griffiths, Tyrone Smith and Tom McKenzie.

Shannon Tanner and Mick Campton from the Kurri Kurri Bulldogs were also part of the win alongside the Cessnock Goanna’s Alfred Whaleboat.

Warriors player-coach Ron Griffiths will mentor the Pickers top grade in 2012 after a long affiliation with the Bulldogs.

In other rugby league news, the Newcastle Knights squads proved too strong for their rivals in Friday night’s trial matches at Tomaree Sportsground.

The Knights full-time and part-time squads, which featured Maitland Pickers prop Adam Withyman, comfortably accounted for the Newcastle Rugby League representative squad in convincing fashion.

Young Pickers up and comers Marco Delapena and Brenton Horwood debuted for the Newcastle senior team.

In the curtain-raiser, the Knights under 20s defeated the newly formed Port Stephens Sharks.