"Yeah, I think most of them had come through the rippa ranks together and 2012 was to be their first tackle experience - they were under-8s, well most of them were," Hoskin said.
"I coached them all the way through until the season just gone and i can say they are a really great bunch of boys, well I call them young men now. We won the then Under-10 grade in 2014 before the union axed that competition and then in 2015 we went on to win the Under-11 division."
Then the proverbial hit the fan.
"There wasn't an Under-12 grade in 2016, so they were forced to play in the under-13 competition and we didn't win a game that season.
"The boys were simply outplayed and probably fairly intimidated fronting up against guys a year or two older. We certainly bounced back this year though. It was the compete opposite - we didn't drop a game and I don't think any other club or school can claim that particular statistic - can't win a game one season, then going through unbeaten the next. It was pretty cool really," Hoskin said.
It wasn't all down to him as coach, though.
"We hade a brilliant set of parents all the way through. You can do it without parents' help driving them to training every week and to games out of town. I also had the luxury of my assistant coach Josh Edwards and Michael O'Connor, a parent who helped out massively during training and game time."
Hoskin enjoyed coaching the lads so much he refused to relinquish the reins even when he was named Steelform Wanganui Heartland forwards coach.
"I didn't want to lose them, it was fun. It's all over now though as they will have dispersed to their various secondary schools by the time next year's rugby season kicks in again.
But there is a Wanganui Under-14 side, so who knows, some, or most of them might be selected."
Hoskin may not be far from the mark given 13 of his 18-man squad were selected for the Wanganui representative Under-13 team.
"I really don't know what I'll do next season, I have had a couple of offers to do different things."
