The junior Sapphire Coast AFL Stingrays have had a highly successful 2015 Shoalhaven representative carnival.
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The Far South Coast team claimed carnival honours in the under 14s and under 16.5 divisions.
Meanwhile, the under 12s came close, just two points off the pace in an entertaining semi-final against Central Coast.
SCAFL also had 11 girls represent the region in the youth girls division of the carnival as part of the South Coast team.
After claiming the under 12 title in 2014, the Stingrays went one better this year, taking two titles and being the most successful league at the carnival.
Football operations coordinator Jarrod Moore praised the hard work of all involved.
“It was a fantastic weekend for the league and shows that at a junior level the competition is extremely strong,” Moore said.
“Everything is in good shape with some great players coming through the ranks.
“The jobs done by coaches Doug Martyn [under 12s], Glen Baker [under 14s] and Mick Clothier [16.5s], their teams and support staff were absolutely fantastic.
“All members should be ecstatic with their achievements over the weekend.”
The under 12s side started the carnival extremely well, securing wins over the Central Coast and Shoalhaven before succumbing to eventual champions Illawarra in the pool round.
In their semi-final, the Stingrays came up against a determined Central Coast side that held off the fast finishing Stingrays 11-9.
For the under 14s, the carnival was a tale of two different days.
The Stingrays started the carnival with a remarkable draw against the Central Coast before falling to the Shoalhaven and Illawarra in two tight contests meaning a third place finish in the pool.
After a couple of changes the Stingrays did the impossible defeating Illawarra 38-27 in the semi-final.
The team went on to claim the carnival title, defeating Shoalhaven 58-57 in extra time.
It was a remarkable final, which saw ups and downs throughout the match for both sides.
“The boys were absolutely fantastic being able to turn around a tough Saturday to claim the title on the Sunday,” Moore said.
“The players knew that if they kept working hard for one another and were able to hit the scoreboard with goals then they could overturn their close losses.
“And to their credit they did just that in an epic grand final.”
Meanwhile, the under 16.5 Stingrays were unbeatable at Artie Smith Oval.
The highly-skilled Stingrays easily accounted for Shoalhaven and Illawarra in the group stage.
A big second half showing in the grand final saw the boys claim the title over Shoalhaven 54-30.
The team was undefeated across the carnival.
“The boys played brilliantly throughout the whole weekend, going undefeated and having 22 players that went above and beyond what was expected for the weekend,” Moore said.
“There is definitely some great players among the group who will go on to bigger and better things in their football careers.”
Moore said the South Coast girls didn’t fare as well and suffered consecutive losses in the pool round.
However, he said he was impressed with the solid showing from local clubs.
“It was a credit to the girls and the local clubs in getting 11 girls to the carnival after we had three girls compete in 2014,” he said.
“Hopefully what was on display on the weekend is a sign of great things to come.”