Netball Queensland U16 & U18 State Titles live stream: Catch 24 games over four days on KommunityTV
The medal games went down to the wire, with one team proving their dominance and another pair unable to be split. Watch all the REPLAYS from the Netball Queensland U16/18 State Titles.
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After four days of thrilling action, the Netball Queensland underage state champions have been dcided.
While one team proved their ultimate dominance on the court, not dropping a match on their way to the gold medal, another pair couldn’t be split in their medal match.
Read all of the finals match wraps and watch the replays below.
SCROLL DOWN TO FIND REPLAYS FROM EVERY DAY OF THE TOURNAMENT
Under-16s Grand Final: Cougars v Wildcats
After an upset win in the Under-18s division, the Cougars and Wildcats took to show court knowing anything was possible in their Under-16s grand final.
The Cougars won their pool round clash 52-22 but were not going to take their Brisbane rivals lightly in the big dance.
However, a 10 goal lead at quarter time set the tone for the game as Cougars continued building to their 45-24 victory.
Cougars v Wildcats (Under-16s grand final)
Twins Rio and Marley Burns stood out in the red and black, owning the wing attack and goal shooter bibs while Ella McCartney completed the circle as goal attack.
The combination worked a treat.
At the other end of the court, it was Harmony Topeto and Charlotte Bloom leading the Wildcats’ attack.
Cougars’ mid court pressure was too strong for a less experienced Wildcats lineup, as Queensland representative Tia Molo ran circles around Mia Shalhoub.
By three quarter time the Cougars had surged 35-19 ahead and refused to slow down in the fourth.
The convincing 21 goal win means they remained undefeated through the tournament.
Under-18s Grand Final: Bull Sharks v Tigers
The Under-18s gold medal match provided 40 minutes of top-notch play for spectators.
Despite going down to Bond by 12 goals in the round game, Tigers dug deep to come out on top 37-32.
Bond’s Elka Macauley and Kaylin Van Greunen both performed under the post, executing their shots despite immense pressure from Tigers’ defensive duo Sophia Dobson and Holly Comyns.
Bull Sharks v Tigers (Under-18s grand final)
The first half closed with Tigers leading by two goals (21-19).
Bond goal keeper Tehya Hyssett had done a stella job stopping easy feeds into Jade Cambourne, though Tigers’ goal attack Amber Yeates seemed to have the better of her goal defence.
The Bull Sharks’ HART Sapphire mid court duo of Dakota Newson and Ocean Karakare made for a difficult feat, though the use of fresh legs with Kiera Heffernan gave Tigers a relief in the third quarter.
Macaulay continued to put on a confident shooting show, while Cambourne and Yeates appeared to struggle under the mix of fatigue and pressure.
Bond led 28-25 coming into the final quarter, with minimal changes made to either lineup.
An offensive contact from Xanthe Maxwell gave the Tigers their first turnover, which opened the gates to a run of five goals.
With three minutes to play and three goals ahead, Yeates missed a crucial shot but Bond was unable to convert.
It was a back and forth affair until the final siren, when the Tigers could let out a sign of relief.
It marks the club’s third Under-18s gold in the competition’s five-year history.
U16s Bronze Medal: Titans v Cougars
After a nail biting Under-18s bronze medal match, the Titans Under-16 side took to show court for their own three v four match against the Jets.
The sides met on day two when Titans were victorious 39-34, but it was the Jets who came out on top in the big show, winning 32-27.
The Ipswich side led from the get-go, up 8-3 after the first quarter.
Jets v Titans (Under-16s third-place play-off)
Goal shooter Amarni Apelu’s percentage was on the higher end of 80% for the first half, considerably more consistent than previous games.
It was a talented match up between Apelu and Titans’ goal keeper Madison Rhind.
Meanwhile at the other end, Rhind’s twin Roxy put on an equally impressive performance under the post.
The second half closed with Jets still leading 18-14.
The mid court match up of wing attack Edan Ah Tooh (Titans) and wing defence Jasmine Fidow (Jets) provided a clean and exciting contest on the circle.
An exceptional third quarter shooting performance by Mia Hayes helped the Jets maintain their lead into the fourth.
There was little change in the final 10 minutes, as the Titans gained numerous turnovers but struggled to convert.
The match closed with Jets ecstatic about claiming bronze against a team which previously got the better of them.
U18s Bronze Medal: Titans v Cougars
The Titans and Cougars will share the Under-18s bronze medal after a controversial finish to their finals play-off on the final day at the Netball Queensland State Titles.
An early run of goals in the first quarter gave Titans hope of an easy victory but Cougars were just warming up.
Australian goal keeper Gemma Hutchings was matched against Titans’ Tia Crombie, which made feeds into the circle a difficult feat under pressure.
Hutchings’ long reach and vertical jump halted the Titans opportunity to lob balls in from anywhere but the circle edge.
Titans v Cougars (Under-18s third-place play-off)
It slowed down the game’s pace and put extra emphasis on converting every centre pass.
Through the mid court, Cougars’ Tia Molo seemed to have endless speed in both wing attack and centre.
Brooke Marchant and Ainslee Harlow took turns wearing the centre bib for Titans, before Marchant was shuffled to goal attack and nudged Talitah Faifai into goal shooter.
The rejig of positions created a moving circle to combat Hutching’s hands over.
By three quarter time, Cougars had given up their two goal lead and the sides were level.
It came down to the wire, as both sides hustled their way to the circle under top notch defensive pressure.
It was always going to be a close finish, but noone anticipated what happened on the final play.
The Cougars had regained their two goal lead with three minutes to play, but Titans were determined to fight back.
After converting their centre pass, Titans’ goal keeper Trinity Toia gained a stella intercept under the post which resulted in Talitah Faifai scoring the equaliser.
About 10 seconds were left on the clock when Faifai attempted to collect the ball, with the Titans on the centre pass and one final shot at taking the bronze.
In a controversial move, Hutchings stepped in front of Faifai and pushed the ball away before finding the floor.
The incident resulted in the clock running down and signifying a 34-all draw.
The Under-16s finals have been set after the Brisbane North Cougars capped off a perfect run through the regular rounds with a dominant 55-36 win over the Barastoc Panthers.
The Cougars will meet the Wildcats in the Under-16s gold medal play-off, while the Gold Coast Titans and TAE Aerospace Jets will clash in the third-place play-off.
WATCH THE FINALS LIVE IN THE PLAYER ABOVE
Both the Titans and Jets will ride a wave of momentum into the play-off clash after winning their final round games to kick off Tuesday’s action.
Before the Under-16s medal games get underway, the Titans will clash with Brisbane North Cougars for the Under-18s bronze medal.
The high-flying Bond University Bull Sharks will be hunting a gold medal when they clash with Carina Tigers later this afternoon.
DAY FOUR REPLAYS
Northern Mendi Rays North v Capricornia Claws (U16)
DAY THREE
The Titans hopes of playing for gold at the Netball Queensland Under-16 and Under-18 State Titles have been dashed on the eve of grand final day.
The Gold Coast side, who were sitting in second spot heading into the final round of pool action, slipped to third after a shock loss to a rampant Sunshine Coast Thunder side.
The Titans will now play off for the bronze at Nissan Arena on Tuesday, while the Carina Leagues Club Tigers have snuck into a gold medal play-off against state titles front-runners Bond Univeristy Bull Sharks.
The Titans appeared to be cruising into the gold medal showdown after the Bull Sharks knocked off grand final rivals the Tigers by 12 goals earlier on day three.
But a defensive masterclass from the Thunder, proved too much for the Titans to overcome, as they slumped to a 51-27 loss on Monday.
DAY THREE REPLAYS
Sunshine Coast Thunder v Northern Mendi Rays Central (U16)
Gold Coast Titans v Sunshine Coast Thunder (U18)
Barastoc Panthers v Capricornia Claws (U16)
ACU Brisbane North Cougars v Northern Mendi Rays (U18)
Northern Mendi Rays Central v Wildcats (U16)
Carina Leagues Club Tigers v Bond University Bull Sharks (U18)
TAE Aerospace Jets v Bond University Bull Sharks (U16)
DAY TWO
The final round of U18s on day two featured a win-starved Jets against podium-placed Tigers.
Off the back of a draw (Titans) and win (Thunder) earlier in the day, Tigers were eager to consolidate with another strong result.
And courtesy of a strong second quarter performance, they did so, eventually claiming a 35-26 victory.
After a close first quarter, the Jets dropped off in the second, giving Tigers a window to surge nine goals ahead - it was an advantage they maintained right to the end.
Meanwhile, day two round two began with a raft of upsets in the U16s division, with the Titans, Rays North, Rays Central and Tigers each impressing.
On court three, the fifth-placed Jets trailed for most of the match against the eighth-placed Titans before kicking into gear late in the third quarter.
But just as they looked to have done enough to secure the win, they gave up their lead late to lose 39-34.
After an undefeated day one, the result puts a damper on the Jets’ campaign, which now includes back-to-back losses.
Court five showcased the Rays Central and Bullsharks clash, which for the first quarter was shaping up to be the competition’s biggest upset.
Sitting last on the ladder, Rays held an early lead but couldn’t maintain it.
Meanwhile, Rays North put a spanner in the works by only going down to Thunder 30-28 in the dying minutes.
While it makes no impact to the ladder, the close call means Thunder have something to prove against the Jets in round three.
Court four was buzzing with action, as the Tigers came from six goals down to win by 10 over the Panthers (36-46).
It was the impact of Sarah Joyce and Kaylee Tamala that made all the difference, the pair simply too quick and too smart for their opposition.
The unexpected loss pushed Panthers from second to fourth but made no difference to Tigers who still sit in seventh.
REPLAYS
Bond University Bull Sharks v Barastoc Panthers (U18)
Carina Leagues Club Tigers v Gold Coast Titans (U16)
Carina Leagues Club Tigers v TAE Aerospace Jets (U18)
ACU Brisbane North Cougars v Northern Mendi Rays South (U16)
Gold Coast Titans v Wildcats (U18)
TAE Aerospace Jets v Wildcats (U16)
Northern Mendi Rays v Capricornia Claws (U18)
DAY ONE
Day one of the Nissan State Titles on Saturday saw a mixture of one-sided games and upsets in both the U16 and U18 divisions.
In the U16s, Brisbane North Cougars demolished Gold Coast Titans by 25 goals, while Bond University Bullsharks fought hard to defeat Brisbane South Wildcats 33-30 in a nailbiting final quarter.
When round two rolled around, it was the match up between Sunshine Coast Thunder and Carina Leagues Tigers that caught eyes.
Despite having 2022 Queensland squadmates Kaylee Tamala and Sarah Joyce in their ranks, the Tigers were unable to hold out in defence.
Thunder capitalised on their chances and claimed a 33-29 victory.
The highlights of round three were spread across three courts, when Tigers suffered their second loss against Jets, Toowoomba-based Panthers defeated Thunder 37-36 and Titans claimed their first win (31-30) over the Bullsharks after a less than ideal start.
The U18s showcased just as much excitement across two rounds.
The first featured convincing wins for Titans over Jets (40-27), Tigers over Capricorn Claws (44-10) and Cougars over Panthers (38-18).
It set a clear tone for round two, which produced similar results and divided the top teams from the bottom.
Bullsharks defeated Northern Rays 54-26 while Thunder claimed a 48-26 victory over Jets.
The controversy of the day arose between Cougars and Titans in round two, when a discrepancy between scoreboards and Netball Connect awarded Cougars the 31-30 win.
A dispute was lodged and investigations into the final quarter scores resulted in the points being reversed in Titans favour.
REPLAYS
Gold Coast Titans v Bond University Bull Sharks (U16)
Sunshine Coast Thunder v TAE Aerospace Jets (U18)
Northern Mendi Rays North v ACU Brisbane North Cougars (U16)
ACU Brisbane North Cougars v Barastoc Panthers (U18)
Northern Mendi Rays South v Sunshine Coast Thunder (U16)
PREVIEW
With the 2023 Netball Queensland U16 and U18 state titles just around the corner, Queensland’s hottest netball talents are ready to take centre stage at the Nissan Arena.
The four-day competition kicks off on Saturday and runs through to Tuesday, with 22 teams vying for glory across two age groups.
Catch all the action from the show court LIVE and EXCLUSIVE with KommunityTV. That’s 24 games, including both grand finals.
The U16s division will feature 12 teams while the U18s will showcase 10.
With regions from across the state taking part, the event is again set to raise the standard for pathway netball in Queensland.
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“We’re excited to witness the next generation of netball talent show their capabilities at this year’s state titles,” said Roselee Jencke, who is the Netball Queensland Head of Pathways
“As the first entry point into Netball Queensland’s High Performance Pathways, the state titles are a hugely important event featuring the best 16 and under and 18 and under athletes from across the state.”
In previous years, the event has played host to a number of current Suncorp Super Netball rookies including Riley Batcheldor, Ava Black, Charlie Bell and Ashleigh Ervin.
It offers athletes an additional pathway to the regular schoolgirls season and HART Sapphire Series, and is the stepping stone to the U17 and U19 Queensland sides.
“Athletes are assessed by state selectors across the four days of competition before up to 30 are named in Queensland’s 17 and under and 19 and under state squads at the conclusion of the tournament,” Jencke said.
These squads undergo intensive training camps before a reduced squad of 16 (12 players and four training partners) are named for the Australian Netball Championships.
In 2023, the Queensland U17s won gold, while the U19s team finished fifth.
Queensland U17s goal shooter Tia Crombie led the shooting percentages ladder across both age groups.
This year’s event is set to be more intense than ever, with several HART Ruby Series players moving from their home club and joining new forces.
The Titans side is a top contender for U16s gold after going down to the Ipswich Jets in 2022.
Meanwhile the Brisbane North Cougars boast an incredible U18s line-up, including Youth Commonwealth Games talent Gemma Hutchings.
Originally published as Netball Queensland U16 & U18 State Titles live stream: Catch 24 games over four days on KommunityTV
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