New-look Marlins prepare to get ball rolling
IT WILL be a different Marlin Coast Marlins outfit from the team which dominated the Queensland State Netball League last year but there is plenty of talent in the Far North Ruby Series side.
The Marlins have been quietly preparing for their Ruby Series North competition, with last week’s three-way hitout against Northern Rays and PNG Pepes a fair indication of the talent in the side.
While players such as Chloe Frederickson, Jacqueline Dupuy and Chantelle Tikitau have moved on from that victorious Marlins side to the Northern Rays’ Sapphire Series roster, it has provided coach Kelly Hynes the chance to blood more exciting prospects.
The Marlins fell to the Rays by 10 points in a preseason game, but Hynes was encouraged by what she saw.
“We’re fielding a really young team, but they all have athletic capabilities which exceed their age,” Hynes said.
“We don’t have a whole lot of experience in the side, but there’s a handful of older girls who are leading the way.”
The inclusion of players such as North Cairns’s Bodelle Stanley and Leah O’Brien has made a big difference.
O’Brien was elevated to the Rays’ roster for the first few rounds of the Sapphire Series to cover the absence of Brooke Williams, who will co-captain Samoa at the World Cup.
Marlin Coast went through the last QSNL Division 2 season undefeated, finishing the regular season with a 12-0 record before sweeping Whitsundays Sharks 2-0 in the bestof-three finals series.
An average winning margin of 14 goals and dominant grand final victories of 24 and 26 points proved the strength of netball in the Far North.