Sport
13 July, 2026
Junior Marlins exceed hopes in Brisbane
THE Kenfrost Homes Marlin Coast Junior Marlins have exceeded expectations at the Tigers Cup in Brisbane, recording five wins, one draw and three close losses against representative teams from across South East Queensland.
The 15-and-under side, made up of players from across Far North Queensland, travelled to the tournament after preparing on home programs since February under local coaches. Before the competition began, the team attended a clinic at Moreton Bay College hosted by Australian netball legend Vicki Wilson, where they trained alongside Brisbane players.
The Marlins opened the carnival strongly, defeating Caboolture 16-11 before drawing 16-all with Redlands. They then beat QC 18-7, narrowly lost to Wests 14-13 and finished the opening day with a 13-11 win over Northern Gold Coast.
The team continued its form on day two with a 15-6 victory over Toowoomba before pushing eventual tournament winners Downey Park all the way in a 19-16 defeat.
According to organisers, Downey Park had dominated the carnival before facing the Marlins, but the Far North side fought back from seven goals down at half-time to finish within three goals.
“The coach came over specifically to tell us how impressed she was with the Marlins,” the match report stated.
The Marlins later lost 16-8 to Pine Rivers before ending the tournament with a 17-13 win over Ipswich. Officials, opposition teams and umpires praised the side’s sportsmanship and competitive approach throughout the event.
“They showed respect and sportsmanship and were wonderful representatives for their families, our region and netball academy. Overall, it was an amazing experience and outstanding result for everyone involved,” the report said.
In an email following the tournament, Shannon Dempster said the players had “only a few months to prepare” against representative teams from across South East Queensland but exceeded expectations by playing as a cohesive unit.
“They came away with five wins, one draw and three close losses including pushing the eventual competition winners Downey Park all the way to their closest margin of the competition of 19-16. This gave them a real shock and the Downey Park coach applauded our players and gave special mention to our accurate shooting.”
The squad included players from the Tablelands and branch associations, with the tournament providing valuable experience against some of the state’s strongest junior netball teams.
