Marlins are simply the best

RUGBY LEAGUE: Three young Mackay and district talents helped propel the Northern Marlins to victory at the under 13 State Championships at Cairns last week.

RUGBY LEAGUE: Three young Mackay and district talents helped propel the Northern Marlins to victory at the under 13 State Championships at Cairns last week.

Mackay's Cody Williams, and Proserpine's Ronald Pender-Webb and Luke Henry, were part of the Marlins team that claimed the state crown for the first time since 2000.

The Marlins defeated the Wide Bay Bulls, SEQ Stingers and the Central Queensland Capras, before knocking over South West Mustangs in the final by a convincing 18 points to four.

Williams was also selected for the under 13 Queensland merit side on the back of his strong performances for the Marlins.

Meanwhile, the under 14 Northern Marlins also fared well at the State Championships, which were held at Cairns last week as well.

The Marlins, including Mackay's Brendan Mansfield and Proserpine's Ben O'Leary, won four of their five games to finish in second place.

Coach Nathan Doyle said he was thrilled with his side's performance, especially against some formidable metropolitan teams who had been training together for weeks.

"It was a very strong competition," the proud coach said.

Originally published as Marlins are simply the best