It was a passionate day in the pool at Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre with teams playing to keep their 2026 AWL Finals hopes alive.
Sydney Uni Lions and Griffith Uni Queensland Thunder survived tough matches to progress to the women’s semi finals.
In the men’s elimination finals, the Fremantle Mariners and Cronulla Sharks overcame two top teams to clinch the final two semi finals spots tomorrow.
Click here to watch today’s replays on KommunityTV.
WOMEN: SYDNEY UNI LIONS 12 d FREMANTLE MARLINS 08
The Sydney Uni Lions have kept their medal chances alive with a tough win against the Fremantle Marlins
Lions player Alexie Lambert said the Marlins really challenged them in the first quarter before the Lions pulled away with a game-changing second quarter where they scored five goals.
“That was a really hard game but I’m very proud of our Sydney Uni girls for pulling through after a really tough and close game yesterday, I think we came together as a team,” Lambert said.
“They definitely had it out for us and made it a really hard game but it was really enjoyable and I think that was a great final before getting to semi-finals. I’m very happy with that game.”
Both teams went toe-to-toe in the second half with the Lions able to hold onto their lead and keep their composure to book a spot in the semi finals.
The Lions will come back up against the UTS Balmain Tigers, who defeated them in a penalty shoot out on Thursday. Lambert said the team is looking forward to getting back in the pool tomorrow and expects a good game.
“I think yesterday we played a very good team game so we’re just trying to implement that again. I think every time we come up against Balmain, it’s always a bit one-for-one so it’s nice to kind of have a bit of a draw so we know we’re on par with them so it’s anyone’s game at the end of the day.”
The Sydney Lions v UTS Balmain Tigers semi final will kick off at 11:30am AEDT.
The Fremantle Marlins will face off against the UNSW Wests Killer Whales in a 5th v 6th playoff Saturday afternoon at 4pm AEDT.
WOMEN: GRIFFITH UNI QUEENSLAND THUNDER 12 d UNSW WESTS KILLER WHALES 10
The defending champions are back in the hunt for glory after defeating a fighting UNSW Wests Killer Whales team.
The teams were neck and neck in each quarter, until a nailbiting final quarter saw the Griffith Uni Queensland Thunder’s defence prove too good for the Killer Whales.
Thunder’s Bless Daly was pivotal in attack, scoring half of the team’s points in the pool. Captain Tenealle Fasala said the team’s slow start wasn’t ideal but was proud of the team’s performance in the second half.
“We did try and push our counterattacks but I think towards the end everything started to click. Going forward into our next games we want to start really hard and start high and just see if we can push through the whole game,” she said.
With a younger squad compared to previous years, Fasala’s role leading the team has been crucial in keeping everyone focused on the biggest national stage.
“It’s a lot of the girls’ first time at the finals so there’s a lot of nerves there and a there’s a lot of inexperience so just trying to bring the energy down, make sure their nerves are in check but I think it’s a great group of girls and we’re here for each other. It’s just like hyping each other up but just making sure we’ve got those things going for us.”
The Griffith Uni Queensland Thunder now look to face the minor premiers, Cronulla Sharks, for a second time this 2026 AWL Final Series.
“We’ve still got two games left to try and take it one game at a time. Our game plan will be just starting hard, going in playing the simple things right because we’ve been getting those wrong a few times. So we’re starting simple, going hard and seeing how far we can go with that,” Fasala said.
The semi final match will be the first game of a super Saturday, starting at 10am AEDT.
The UNSW Wests Killer Whales will look to defeat the Fremantle Marlins in the 5th v 6th playoff at 4pm AEDT tomorrow.
MEN: FREMANTLE MARINERS 18 d UWA TORPEDOES 13
The Fremantle Mariners won the battle of the west in the first of the men’s elimination final, beating the UWA Torpedoes 18-13.
In his first year playing for the club, Patrick Duggan made an impact with six goals in the match.
“It’s always good to play UWA in the finals especially since they’re our home rivals. Same year, different outcome… It was a good fight, thanks to UWA.
“It was a bit of a blur. I’m probably more annoyed that I got two kickouts, but never got scored on. That was a team win,” Duggan said.
The Mariners scraped through to qualify for the 2026 AWL Finals in sixth place, making for an exciting run for the club at Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre.
“It feels good. We had to wait for the last four games to make finals. It’s always good to come around tomorrow and play finals for the medals. I just can’t wait. Tomorrow’s a different game so we’ve got to focus.”
We know that Drummoyne and Wests are really strong teams so we gotta just refocus, recover well, and come tomorrow we’ve gotta play whoever shows up on the day,” Duggan said.
The Mariners will face their biggest challenge yet as they try to topple the UNSW Wests Magpies to make the gold medal match. The semi final will begin at 1pm AEDT.
The UWA Torpedoes will now face XX in the 5th v 6th playoff match at 5:30pm AEDT tomorrow.
MEN: CRONULLA SHARKS 18 d UTS BALMAIN TIGERS 17
In the final match of the day, the Cronulla Sharks came from behind to defeat the UTA Balmain Tigers in a fiery affair.
The Cronulla Sharks used their confidence in their day one victory to go to battle with the Tigers, only hitting the lead on the scoreboard in the final minutes of the game.
Sharks player Daniel Kerr said given the team wasn’t in the finals last year, today’s result is massive for the club.
“The first few quarters, a lot of attacking play, some hard defence – both teams were really on in attack. At the end of the game, we weren’t winning until the fourth quarter and we came out on top after a one goal win. It’s pretty cool.”
“It’s really good. Honestly I couldn’t believe it but it was surreal in the moment. A bit of a flow state for all the guys involved. Considering we weren’t in the finals last year, and we just missed out to Balmain, it’s really good to be back here and into the semi finals.”
The Sharks claim the final spot in tomorrow’s semi finals against fellow Sydney rivals, the Drummoyne Devils.
“We are 2/2 in the Sydney League and the AWL with Drummyone so it will be a really good match up. I’m really excited to play those guys. I’m really looking forward to tomorrow,” Kerr said.
With a gold medal chance within reach, Kerr said it’d be a dream come true to bring a title back to the club.
“It would be unreal. We haven’t won since I was born so to see Cronulla back on top would be an absolute pleasure for me.”
The semi final match between the Cronulla Sharks and Drummoyne Devils will start at 2:30pm AEDT tomorrow.
The UTS Balmain Tigers will also be in action tomorrow evening, playing the UWA Torpedoes in the 5th v 6th playoff at 5:30pm AEDT.
