As most of their friends headed back to school on Tuesday, Archie Finn and Noah Steinerts were making the long trip to Darwin for the biggest game of their young lives.
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And Edgeworth coach Damian Zane was backing the teenagers to play vital roles as the Eagles take on Darwin Olympic in the FFA Cup round of 32 on Wednesday night.
Finn, 16, and Steinerts, 17, secured their tickets to Darwin with exciting performances in recent weeks.
Steinerts, an apprentice electrician, made his first-grade debut in a 3-1 NPL win over Maitland on Saturday and gained the cup call-up the following day.
"I was just sitting at home with my dad, not really expecting it, and got the text, so I was super excited," Steinerts said.
The centre-back came into calculations after the loss of defensive options Josh Evans, Mitch Dobson, Sam Maxwell and Dom Bizzarri this season.
Zane said Steinerts, a former Jets Academy player, would start again at centre-back alongside Pat Wheeler.
"We can put [Josh] Rose in there but then we sacrifice what he offers in attack [at left-back]," Zane said.
"And I watched the game against Maitland, and Noah was superb.
"In a debut, in a big game, he defended really well. He was a bit nervous on the ball, but that's to be expected, so I'm going to back him in."
Finn has featured in five top-grade games this season and booked his flight north with two goals off the bench against Hamilton in round 16.
Zane said Finn had already proven a genuine threat up front and he would make his squad stronger as an attacking weapon off the bench.
"He's shown against good opposition that his knack of getting onto things in the box is not luck, it's know-how," he said.
"And at 16, it's pretty exciting."
Zane started both rookies against Maitland on Saturday, allowing him to keep Oliver Smith, Will Bower, Daniel McBreen and Dylan Holz fresh off the bench for the cup game. Smith scored twice late to secure the three points.
"It was a fantastic effort, but I knew our boys would stick in there and if we were in it after 60 minutes, I'll use these boys," Zane said.
"Now we've got all these players who are fresh for the cup and chomping at the bit.
"It was a risk, but a calculated one."
Finn, who attends Warners Bay High School, and Steinerts hope to make the most of the chance to further their football ambitions on the national stage.
"Everyone is watching and it's all over TV and social media, so it's massive," Steinerts said.
"The NPL is getting bigger and bigger, and so many opportunities can open up."
Finn said: "I want to go further so it's good to get my name out there."
Steinerts hoped his successful debut would prepare him for the nerves of the big occasion.
"I think I will be right," he said.
"I'll just try not to think about it too much and try to do my job.
"I'm super excited and keen to get out there with all the boys. It's a good group of boys so it should be fun."