Tribes complete the Girls’ double with U-17 Cup win

Tribes water polo club captured the Girls’ U-17 Irish Cup in Belfast last weekend, beating St. Vincents from Dublin 11-3 in the final. What makes this result all the more special is the fact that this same group of girls also captured the 2021 U-15 Cup in Galway back in November.

The club is really beginning to build a dynasty with this team. Some of their players were conceding three years to their older opponents at this age grade, but played with a confidence that belied their age, and their performance last weekend illustrates that the hard work and investment made in both water polo clubs in the city is reaping rich dividends at a national level.

The weekend began on Friday with an early departure for Belfast, and game in mid-afternoon against Bangor Barracudas. The Tribes girls were training all through the Christmas to ensure they were able to compete at the higher age grade, but need not have had any worries, getting off to a flying start with a comprehensive 15-3 victory.

Aoife Nash contributed three goals, and in a remarkable feat, every player in the Tribes team, bar goalkeeper Fiona Mooney, got on the scoresheet. Mooney, the team captain, played her own crucial role, keeping a clean sheet in the first half to allow her side build a comfortable lead.

The second game in their qualifying group on Saturday was against a young Cathal Brugha team. The 29-6 scoreline in favour of Tribes was more a reflection of the strength and experience of the Tribes team rather that the deficiencies of their opponents as, to be fair to Cathal Brugha, their squad is going to through a re-build phase who are using some younger players to gain experience at level.

That being said, Lydia McNicholas and Niamh Connery exploited the Brugha defence with ruthless efficiency with powerful swimming and heads-up water polo. They contributed eight of the nine goals in the first quarter, which broke the spirit of the Cathal Brugha team.

Once again, every member of the squad contributed a goal in a win that secured a semi-final spot on Sunday against local team Clonard.

The semi-final was going to test the character of the Tribes girls, playing Clonard in Belfast who would have strong home support. Tribes were established in 2010 to cater for the growing number of girls looking to play water polo in Galway. Clonard on the other hand, is a long-established club, a celebrated its centenary in 2021, but Tribes showed they are a force in the sport with a brilliant performance.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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