Silver for top Coast relay crew

They finished second behind one of the strongest taplin relay teams, but you could still see the disappointment on the faces of Mooloolaba's open men's team.

THEY finished second behind one of the strongest taplin relay teams in Australian Surf Life Saving Championships history, but you could still see the disappointment on the faces of Mooloolaba’s open men’s team.

The Mooloolaba six could not match the pace of their Northcliffe rivals, who blitzed the field yesterday in one of the most highly regarded events at the Aussies.

It took a mammoth effort from Mooloolaba to claim the silver medal as the team trailed Northcliffe and Kurrawa for most of the race.

It was not until renowned board paddler Cam Cole hit the water that Mooloolaba, whose team included Nutri-Grain ironmen Matt Poole, Josh Minogue and Dylan Newbiggin, jumped into the silver medal position.

But the damage had been done and Northcliffe legend Shannon Eckstein had a leisurely paddle home to give his club a two-minute victory.

Cole, 23, said his team performed about as well as it could have.

“The team is really young, so we should be happy with second,” he said.

“Northcliffe is just a powerhouse club full of stars, so it’s tough to beat them. We’re catching up to them slowly. We might get there in a few years.

“The waves worked in their favour sometimes but that’s the way surf goes.”

The semi-finals of the open ironman were postponed until this morning to allow the last quarter-final, which was scheduled for Thursday, to be run yesterday.

The championships culminate this afternoon with the open ironman and ironwoman finals.

Originally published as Silver for top Coast relay crew