Nepean defeated Manning 1-0 in the final played at Taree Recreation Centre on Sunday afternoon. Last year Manning went down to Northern Sydney and Beaches in the decider.

Manning went into the final with an unbeaten record and downed Nepean 1-0 in the pool rounds. However, Nepean scored early in the first quarter in the final and defended grimly for the remainder of the encounter, despite Manning holding a territorial advantage.

Manning coach Terry Bourke said it was a disappointing end to what was otherwise a highly successful campaign.

"We played six games and only lost the one, unfortunately it was the final,'' he said.

"But that's hockey...that's sport. It wasn't a bad performance from the girls, it just wasn't our day.''

Bourke said the game is all about getting the ball into the net and Manning failed to do that in the final, despite having numerous chances.

However, he said the future is bright, with players as young as 14 and 15 in the team.

"It's an under 18 tournament, and we have players in our side that young, it shows there's talent here,'' he said.

Earlier in the day Manning defeated Grafton 2-1 in a tense semi-final.

Manning started the campaign with a 5-1 thumping of Far North Coast on Friday and followed this with a 4-0 victory over Bathurst. They beat Nepean 1-0 in the opening game on Saturday before finishing the pool rounds with a 2-1 result over Lithgow to move through to the semi-final.