14&U East Coast Challenge 2024

Water Polo Queensland is thrilled to announce the outstanding performance of our teams at the 2024 East Coast Challenge. This year, we selected over 80 talented athletes and 8 coaches, forming three teams in both the girls' and boys' divisions, including one combined team with Tasmania.

In the boys' division of the tournament, QLD Maroon demonstrated their prowess with an impressive undefeated streak throughout the preliminary rounds and into the semi-finals. Although they narrowly missed advancing to the gold medal match, their determination was evident in the bronze medal game, where they secured a thrilling victory with a 1 goal advantage in the final minute. Our other boys' teams, QLD Gold, QLD Navy, and the QLD/TAS combined team, also showed tremendous effort and sportsmanship. They competed fiercely and finished strong in the playoff games, showcasing the depth of talent in our program.

The girls' division saw our QLD Maroon team dominate the competition. They remained undefeated throughout the tournament and clinched the gold medal in a thrilling final against NSW, winning by 1 goal. The QLD Gold team also put up a valiant fight, finishing their bronze medal game with a score of 8-5 against ACT Blue. Meanwhile, the QLD Navy team secured an impressive 5th place finish.

In addition to our athletes' success, we are proud to highlight the contributions of our four referees from Queensland—Giacomo Hernandez, Benjamin Spall, William Hansen, and Aidan Drew who officiated at the tournament. Their expertise and dedication were recognised with significant appointments: Benjamin Spall officiated the girls' gold medal match and Aidan Drew officiated the boys' gold medal match. Their involvement exemplifies the high standards of officiating in Queensland and their dedication to representing our state was commendable.

We extend our heartfelt congratulations to all the athletes for their incredible efforts and achievements at the 2024 East Coast Challenge. Your dedication and sportsmanship have made Queensland proud. Special thank you to the coaches, officials, and supporters who contributed to our success.

Go Queensland!