Unbeaten for five years, are the Mermaids Pink water polo Australia’s best junior sporting side?

With an unbeaten reign lasting five years and counting, including four national titles in a row, is this group of young southeast Queensland athletes the best junior sporting side in Australia?

Unbeaten for five years, are the Mermaids Pink under 16 girls water polo team the best junior sporting side in Australia?

The champion outfit this afternoon claimed another title at the Australian Youth Water Polo Championship, beating Sydney University 10-6.

The Yeronga-based group, which last year won the Quest Newspapers state-wide Local Sports Start team award, has not lost a game for five years and has now won four national titles in a row after starting a dynasty in 2015.

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“Touch wood, they have not lost a game whether it is Brisbane, Queensland or Australia,’’ said club founder Nicola Johnson.

“Most of them started together in the under 12s.

The Mermaids Pink under 16s do their trade Mermaid splash after winning the Australian Youth Water Polo Championships.

“There is not a secret to them. They just do the hard work, they have a good attitude toward the game, they obviously have the skills and I think they are really committed to the sport.

“They have good coaching and as a group they get on together. They want to do it for each other.’’

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There were individual gongs yesterday for Mermaids’ Molly Nasser, whose uncle Brendan was a highly respected Wallaby, and for goalie Victoria Kininmonth.

Nasser was named the best under 16 girls field player and Kininmonth was the under 16 girls goalie of the tournament,

The then under 14 Mermaids Pink side at last October’s Local Sports Star awards night.

But it was again all about the team as Mermaids produced another powerhouse performance, rising from a 1-nil deficit and a 2-all scoreline at halftime to produce a blistering third quarter effort.

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Nasser started the ball rolling by skidding through a goal from a penalty, then Lulu Elliott and Louisa Downes added goals before Elliott scored a second after the ball had rebounded off the cross bar.

It was all systems go as Josephine Crimmins joined in and then Nasser again and before Sydney Uni could blink, the score was 7-2.

Lance and Nicola Johnson, founders of the Mermaids Water Polo Club.

Sydney Uni did not cave in, but Mermaids were too strong.

When Downes left the pool during a time out in the fourth quarter, she earnt a pat on the head from Johnson. “She went well that today. She is a really good little attacker.

“But she picked up her game in defence as well.’’

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Johnson’s husband Lance, who co-coaches the team, said the Mermaids had to be adaptable when he changed tactics to counter Sydney Uni’s best player, Australian under 18 representative Sienna Green.

“The girls did what they were told,’’ Lance said.

An example of Mermaids depth was that the award-winning Kininmonth shares goalie duties with Annabel Cowan, swapping every quarter.

The Mermaids Pink under 16s after winning the Australian Youth Water Polo Championships.

“We change goalies every quarter. And they both are outstanding,’’ Nicola Johnson said.

Mermaids finished the championships with gold in the girls’ 16s, silver in the under 14 girls and a bronze medal in the under 12 boys.

“Gold, silver and bronze for the club this year. We are very happy,’’ Nicola Johnson said.

It continues an extraordinary run of success for a club which was only founded in 2014 after starting off as a training squad for less than 10 players.