Multicultural Netball Carnival

For the second year in a row, Marangaroo Primary School attended the Netball WA Multicultural Carnival.

We would have loved to enter more teams, but One Big Voice was held on the same day and many of our students attended that event. This had a particularly big impact on our Year 5/6 team, with five of our usual seven first-team players away. Marangaroo also appeared to be one of the few schools participating in both major events on the same day.

For the second year in a row, we also had more boys than girls representing Marangaroo in netball. Students were selected through the games and skills practised during PE lessons.

A huge thank you to our parents and families. We had a fantastic group come along and support our students throughout the day.

Why our results were so impressive

Marangaroo is a very small school compared with many of the schools we played against.

We have only around 60 students across Years 3 and 4. Some of the schools we competed against have approximately 120–180 students across the same two year levels. This gives those schools a much larger group of students from which to select their teams.

Many of our opponents also have established school or community netball clubs and programs, meaning some students train and play netball regularly.

At Marangaroo, many students at the carnival were playing their first-ever competitive netball game, with only a handful having significant previous netball experience.

This makes their performances even more impressive.

Marang-utans – Year 3/4

The goal for this team was simple: try netball, have fun and discover whether a court sport with a round ball was something they might enjoy and want to continue playing.

For most, this was their first-ever netball game.

You could see the beginnings of some future superstars. Most importantly, the reports afterwards were very clear – they had an incredible amount of fun!

Maranga-potamus – Year 3/4

For most, this was their first games of netball. After some first-game nerves, this team settled beautifully and went on to beat every other team they played, including a team that had drawn with the eventual champions.

They finished second overall, only one ladder point behind first place. After crunching the numbers, they had an 8% chance of this result or higher.

They were also the highest-placed public school in the division and beat last year’s winners.

Our little school showed that it could compete with anyone.

Maran-gorillas – Year 5/6

This team faced a huge challenge before the carnival even started.

Five of the seven students who would normally play at our first-team netball level were attending One Big Voice.

Our basketball players stepped in to save the day, joined by a soccer player and a few netball players.

Despite this, the team still defeated Neerigen Brook and drew with Pearsall during the carnival.

Pearsall has almost three times as many Year 5/6 students as Marangaroo, as well as an established netball club. For a team missing five of its usual first-seven players, this was an excellent effort.

Across all three teams, our students showed exceptional teamwork, sportsmanship and a willingness to try something new.

You can see why a number of our Year 5 students are now setting themselves the goal of reaching state-level selection in the future. This sport has turned into a place to belong and create an identity at our school.

Want to Give Netball a Go?

If your child came home thinking, “I would like to give netball a go,” there are some fantastic clubs playing and training at Kingsway, just down the road from Marangaroo.

Many clubs are looking for players for the Spring competition.

Venetians Netball Club – Most of our Marangaroo students play here. https://www.venetiansnetballclub.com.au/

Paua Rose Netball Club – https://www.facebook.com/pauarosenetball/

Both clubs are fantastic and communicate regularly with Mr Lee, which helps us continue to support the development of our students.

For students looking for a more competitive netball pathway, you can also have a look at Hamersley Netball Club: www.hamersleynetball.com.au

After-school netball training at Marangaroo will also return later in the year.

We are extremely proud of what our students achieved. For a little school, they continue to produce some very big performances.