Sport
23 July, 2024
Gold for netballers
THE Kenfrost Homes Marlin Coast netball under-17 and under-15 teams have shone in the international stage taking gold in their first international competition at the Singapore Quad Series last month.
In their first international competition in five years, the 19 girls from the Marlins showcased the unmeasurable talent of the region at the Singapore Quad Series in late June, going undefeated in all their preliminary matches, reaching the finals as favourites and finally taking the victory.
It was a challenging weekend on June 22 and 23 for the Marlins, who had to overcome the weather, a completely different style of play and even illness to make it to the top, but there was no stopping these girls.
“It was a very successful couple of days,” said Marlin Coast Netball president Heather McLaren.
“Our under-17s and under-15s played three teams leading into the finals. We played the under-17 national Singapore team, the Singapore academy, and the Malaysian academy and we beat them very convincingly throughout the series.
“We had a few girls come down with upset tummies, so I had to make sure that I juggled the teams on the court and not take too much out of them to prepare them for the final.
“And in the finals, when we faced the under-17 national team, we worked out that their game was a lot different to ours, they play a very aerial game, so we were able to change and nullify their court play.
“Same with the under-15, they came up against Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore academies, they came a little closer in their results but in the end, they came up on top.”
Ms McLaren said this was a remarkable triumph by a group of young athletes who had never played abroad.
“None of these girls had ever been away before, so it was a great time for them,” she said.
“They had plenty of time to see the sights, visit different facilities, have fun, as well as shine on the netball court, so I think we should be very proud of them.
“These are girls from the Marlin Coast region, a very small region, and we did very well, so they’re really hoping to do it again."
Ms McLaren said it was something good to have on their resumes.
