Talent pool runs deep
Cairns dives back in to championships with mix of youth, experience
The Cairns Reef Sharks are the upstarts of this weekend’s Queensland Country Championships and new men’s coach Michael Porter is happy to take the dark horse tag into the water polo competition. A total of 12 regional teams from across the Sunshine State will head to Townsville for an action-packed three days of competition, starting today, with the Reef Sharks to send a men’s and women’s team for the first time in years.
THE Cairns Reef Sharks are the upstarts of this weekend’s Queensland Country Championships and new men’s coach Michael Porter is happy to take the dark horse tag into the water polo competition.
A total of 12 regional teams from across the Sunshine State will head to Townsville for an action-packed three days of competition, starting today, with the Reef Sharks to send a men’s and women’s team for the first time in years.
Porter, who has been involved in the sport in the Far North for more than 30 years, believes the Reef Sharks will take it to the best teams despite their inexperience.
“We might be looking as a bit of a dark horse even though we are just starting up again,” Porter said.
“There has been an absence of Cairns in this competition for the last five or six years but we have strong numbers now so we are excited to get back into it.
“We have got a good mix of experience and novices who are learning the game.”
Reef Sharks president Jesse O’Hara can’t wait to return to the tournament.
“We’re really happy that we have been able to enter two teams, one in each competition,” O’Hara said.
“It’s our first competition, so our goal is to go out and compete and to win a game, ideally more, which we will look to improve on as a club over the coming months.”
The women’s team will be coached by Wade Greasley.
Porter estimated the last time a Far North team claimed the title was way back in 1988 and expects the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast to be the contenders this weekend.
The Reef Sharks will supply two players to a Northern Development Team, made up of promising under-20s athletes from different areas.
The 2018 Queensland Country Championships will be played across two pools, Long Tan Memorial Pool and Northern Beaches Leisure Centre, with games starting at 3.15pm today.
Games will continue right across the weekend, culminating in back-to-back finals on Sunday at Long Tan starting at 10am.
THERE HAS BEEN AN ABSENCE OF CAIRNS IN THIS COMPETITION FOR THE LAST FIVE OR SIX YEARS BUT WE HAVE STRONG NUMBERS NOW SO WE ARE EXCITED TO GET BACK INTO IT MEN’S COACH MICHAEL PORTER
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