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Diamond Vale Government Primary School broke the recent private school stranglehold on the primary school water polo competition, as they held off St Monica’s Preparatory School 13-10 in the Senior Male final of the 2025 Republic Bank National Primary Schools Mini Polo League.
And coach Leon Daniel told Wired868 that it was a meaningful milestone.
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“This victory, to me, is putting Diamond Vale back on top,” said Daniel. “The athletes were excited to play the match, and now they’re champions. [We’re] excited to bring the title back to Diamond Vale.”
In the other two Mini Polo League divisions contested at the Diego Martin Community Pool last weekend, St Monica’s beat Dunross Preparatory to the Senior Female crown while Dunross turned the tables on St Monica’s in the Junior Male division.
Diamond Vale’s success marks the first time that a government school has lifted a national mini polo trophy in at least a decade. This success was at least partially down to 13-year-old Mujahid Joseph, who Daniel credited with a key role in the final.
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“Mujahid is an all-round athlete—he runs, plays golf, football, basketball, he swims a little,” said Daniel. “Water polo is new to him, but it was easy for him to get into the water and gel with the team. This was actually his first time playing water polo and learning the rules.
“By the finals, he was well prepared.”
St Monica’s, who were favourites for all three finals, defeated Diamond Vale earlier in the competition. And coach Daniel West believes complacency might have crept in at the worst possible time.
“We believe the performance of our team in the [Senior Male final] on Saturday stemmed from our boys being a little too confident that it was a ‘sure win’, having beaten that same team before,” West told Wired868. “In the future, we need to reinforce to our athletes that being on top means that everyone is coming for your spot and to stay alert at all times.”
There were notable performances from both goalkeepers in the final, with Diamond Vale’s Benjamin Bompart and St Monica’s Kona Williams both doing themselves justice.
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West congratulated his players for fighting “down to the last seconds” and noted their improvement during the course of the competition.
“They developed a lot of tactical thinking—compromising when one method didn’t work—and spatial awareness,” said the St Monica coach. “They also developed their communication skills, both in and out of the pool. On a mental level, I’d say they developed a sense of teamwork and resilience.”
Daniel, meanwhile, opened up on Diamond Vale’s tactical approach, which led to them lifting the big prize.
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“My coaching style is defensive,” said Daniel. “I focus on attack, yes, but in mini polo—which is used for introducing players to water polo—I make sure they know how to mark and play ‘help defence’. I always tell them defence leads into offence.
“With defence, you deal with a lot of spatial awareness. The decision-making in help defence is the same process that leads to deciding who to pass to or what shot to take.”
Daniel, who founded the Tridents Academy in Diego Martin, praised Republic Bank for its investment in water polo and hopes the competition continues to grow.
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“If we get more schools into it, the tournament would be more interesting,” he said, “with more competition, better gameplay, and better coaches.”
Six teams participated in this year’s event: Dunross Preparatory School, Diamond Vale Government Primary School, Mantaray (a combined schools’ team that comprise Mucurapo Boys’ RC, St Theresa’s Girls’ RC, Diego Martin Government Primary, Eshe’s Learning Centre, and St Margaret’s Boys Anglican), St Monica’s Preparatory School, and a joint girls team of Diamond Vale Government, Patna Government Primary School, and St Ursula’s Government Primary School.
Tournament director Jayveer Katwaroo said the standard of play was higher than in previous years.
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“I was impressed with the players who were definitely at a higher level than previous years—Diamond Vale, in particular,” said Katwaroo. “Even for Patna, which was a new school, the coaching level was higher than expected, and I was really impressed with that.
“[…] The coaches have been doing a great job with their many training sessions, and that was reflected in the tournament.”
Katwaroo listed an array of “rising stars” who came to the fore this year.
Dash was the only girl who competed in the boys division.
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In the boys divisions, there were: Etan Esimaje, Bradley Alexander, Taylan Diaz, Kayden Chin, and Jake De Gannes (all Dunross Preparatory), Jazaliah Paul, Irvin Samuel, Lamar Rogers, and Levi Dolsingh (all St Monica’s Preparatory), Mujahid Joseph and Johan Azizan Saw (both Diamond Vale Government), and Javon Jerry-Lovell, Jaydon Olive, Jose Burgess, and Alessia Dash (Mantaray Combined Team).
Dash was the only girl to compete in the Senior Male division as Mantaray did not register a girls team.
Katwaroo listed the top girls players as: Mia Medina-Singh, Jamie Lee, Sarah Marshall, Amilya Marshall, and Ariya Bolai De Matas (all Dunross Prepatory), Danielle Popplewell, Isabella Sanoir, Dana Marie Simon, and Sahara Ali (St Monica’s Preparatory).
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He also acknowledged the long-term support from the tournament’s title sponsor.
“Republic Bank has had a large impact on the development of the sport over the years, an impact that is still growing,” he said. “Their willingness to support and assist with the expansion of the tournaments is beyond amazing.
“We are hoping to do more with them to increase the marketability and experience of the athletes, officials, parents, and spectators at the tournament.”
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Katwaroo noted too some rule changes and added support services for the players.
“Before [in the penalty shootouts], the athletes would stand by the five-meter cone and shoot from there,” he said. “This time, the shooter started from half-line, swam up, and had 10 seconds to score. We did that for the entertainment of the game.
“[…] We had a medical staff sponsor (the Trinidad Security Special Response Team), which was great. We want to keep that bond.
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“We got some snack sponsors as well, which was good for the nutrition of the athletes, and next year we plan to build on that.”
Katwaroo confirmed that a beach water polo tournament is scheduled for November, while there are further plans for an expanded edition of the Republic Bank National Primary Schools Mini Polo League in 2026.
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