Australian Football

The Marlins enjoyed an excellent debut season in the Black Diamond AFL in 2015, but it ended in disappointment. After finishing at the top of the ladder prior to the finals they cruised into the grand final on the strength of a 7.7 (49) to 4.1 (25) second semi final win over Newcastle City. Grand final day saw them pitted against the same opponents but unfortunately they chose this occasion to put in probably their worst performance of the season and slump to a 22 point loss. The benefit of such a reversal is that it provides an incentive to take that one final step, which is what the Marlins duly did in 2016. With the grand final opposition again coming from Newcastle City they trailed 1.2 (8) to 3.5 (23) at the long break before making the most of their opportunities in the second half, adding 4 straight goals to 6 behinds to sneak home by 3 points. In 2017 the same two teams contested the grand final but this time it was Newcastle City who had the incentive to erase the memories of the previous season's flag decider. The Marlins failed to cope with the pressure on this occasion, succumbing in the end to a 59 point reversal. Nevertheless, overall the club's feat in making grand finals in all of its first three seasons was both commendable and impressive, and further premierships in the coming few years can confidently be expected. The 2018 season, however, was something of a disappointment as, after topping the ladder ahead of the finals, the Marlins dropped out of the flag race at the penultimate stage at the hands of Wyong Lakes.