Victory arrives at last

SCENES of pandemonium have taken place the past two Monday nights at the Gold Coast Sport and Leisure Centre as the Gold Coast Allstarz mixed social team have rattled off two successive wins.

Yet that’s just the start of this story.

The team has been playing in regular competitions since 2005.

It had been seven years since their previous win in the competition, so to win two games in a row has seen remarkable celebrations from all involved.

All players in the team are intellectually disabled athletes with several members having played at state and national level.

Team co-captains Davey Greig and Ben Steinhardt have won national gold and Davey has played at the Special Olympics as a member of the national team.

I had the chance to interview one of the key players, Matthew Brown, after the game and asked him what was the difference in the team’s performance recently.

“We’ve been putting in some extra training, Ben and Davey, our captains have been playing very well,” he said.

I cheekily asked Matt if there has been any difference to his day-to-day life now that the team is winning.

“I’ve really enjoyed people on the street stopping me to shake hands,” he smiled.

Full of confidence, the group are looking forward to their next game.

The teams play Basket Cases which are currently tied with them on the ladder, so the chance of winning three in a row is a real possibility.

I have a good feeling that regardless of the outcome these legends will be celebrating.