GEELONG has shown its grass roots strength by winning the Championship Division of the Future Stars tournament for under-12 boys.

With 32 teams from all over country Victoria gathering in Bendigo last weekend, Geelong finished on top, remaining undefeated on its march to the grand final win over Bendigo, 44-41.

With Jack Hamon, Jordan O'Leary, Cohen Blythe, Darcy Bennett, James Tehan and Joel O'Keefe playing well, Geelong won six preliminary games before topping Warrnambool, 46-25, in the semi-final.

With Geelong shooting for back-to-back Future Stars titles, it needed every player firing in the grand final , which was tied 20-20 at half-time and stayed close right down to the final buzzer.

Throughout the grand final Jamie Sydall and Tom Doedee led from the front, while Xavier McKeegan  was excellent on the boards and Bailey Biggs' cool head down the stretch was crucial in securing the  three-point win and the Ray Borner Shield.

Geelong will now be invited to the Classic tournament in Melbourne, one of Australia's best events, over the Queen's Birthday Weekend in June.

The Geelong under-12 girls team did an excellent job at the Future Stars event, finishing second in its group with a 2-1 record, only losing to the strong Warrnambool outfit before dropping its consolation game to Bendigo.