Sport
2 June, 2023
Netballers off to NSW titles
Under-16 Marlins team tops ladder at carnival against 20 other rivals
THE under-16 Marlins netball team has tested their performance and come out victorious at the annual Marlin Coast Fowlers Group Representative Carnival in Innisfail before departing to the NSW state championships.
Over 20 Far North Queensland teams gathered for a day of competitive netball at the Marlin Coast Fowlers Carnival in Innisfail on May 21 to compete against the best netballers in the Far North.
The Cairns team was the overall winner in all divisions. However, The Marlins made up of Asha Lynch-Simmons, Isabella Teasdale, Jessica Reedman, Bronte Gross, Charlotte Boevink, Lauren Miekle, Jasmine Jeffries, Amelia Sciani, and Cecily Okena, won in the under-16 division, playing competitively for the first time before the big competition from June 10-12 in Newcastle.
“This was the first time the girls played competitively as a team, and the coaches got to try combinations,” said Marlin Coast Netball president Heather McLaren.
“They came out on top. It’s good news because many of the players do on their own. They’re working home programs, so they only meet as Marlins once a month. They will have their final training session next Sunday before they fly out.”
As an invitational team for the NSW state championship, the Marlins will play 19 games over the three days and won’t classify for an award, but it will be the chance to prove themselves on a professional court.
“It was quite good to see them on the court for the first time,” Ms McLaren said.
“This will be a whole new experience when they go away and hit the court in Newcastle, because all these are regional teams in NSW, so the style of game could be different, the cold weather and how they cope with it, injuries and how they cope with them.
“I’ve been doing a lot of one-on-one coaching with the girls, and they’re all wanting to learn.
“Some of these girls are only 15 so it’s a great time to start them if they want to go on the competitive streak.”
Ms McLaren said she hoped the Marlins team would get more opportunities to compete interstate and internationally in the coming years.
“The girls like to travel and play other teams,” she said.
“We have limited options of where we can go and play, so we jumped at the invitation of playing in Newcastle.
“Hopefully, in the future, we get to play overseas again.”
