Sport
26 June, 2024
Three Gleeson siblings to play for Queensland
Three Gleeson siblings to play for Queensland
Gerard Walsh
This week’s Polocrosse Nationals in Chinchilla will be the first time all three Gleeson siblings from Warwick will play for Queensland at the same nationals. Madeline will play for the under-21 mixed team in the June 25-30 nationals, Annabelle is in the U21 ladies team and Ted in the junior mixed team. Their father Matt Gleeson played two U21 Tests for Australia and nine at open level, including a tour to South Africa and Zimbabwe. While Annabelle and Madeline have played together in some Warwick teams, the Chinchilla Nationals will be Madeline’s first appearance in the biggest competition in the land which is played every second year. Madeline is usually a No.2 in polocrosse (centre of field) and Annabelle is a No.3 (defender).
Queensland only get the chance to host the nationals every 10 years. Two years ago at the Ballarat Nationals, Annabelle was a winner in the Queensland junior mixed team while Ted was runner up in sub-juniors. Madeline played in a Queensland show team at Muswellbrook in New South Wales but said she had been working on making a 2024 team for the nationals for the past two years.
“I have live streamed a lot of polocrosse from home to improve my play,” she said.
Madeline, 18, started playing at the age of 12 and won a junior B-grade State Championship at Wandoan in 2019. “We usually practise at home,” she said. She is currently studying for a business degree at university but plans to keep her polocrosse up. “I really love the sport and would like to aim for an Australian team one day but first have to get through the nationals.”
The nationals started on Tuesday, June 25, with most of the finals on the weekend, June 29-30.
As well as three Gleesons, Warwick has nine other players in Queensland teams. Stanthorpe-based Melissa Kerr plays polocrosse for Cunningham and will play in a Queensland masters team at Chinchilla.
