Brothers’ quadruple feat emulated

Neptunes’ success story in waterpolo since the club’s inception in 1929 has been replete with special feats including an impressive number of ‘firsts’. The latest to go on record is the fourth successive league title won by two brothers in the same team.

If we roll back the years to almost a quarter of a century ago, exactly in 1989, Adrian Cachia and his brother Leonard were the first ever siblings in Maltese waterpolo to win the league title four times in a row.

The Neptunes 1993 team featuring brothers Adrian and Leonard Cachia

The lanky Adrian, winner of the Player of the Year award in 1990, provided his team with stability and assurance in goal while the sturdy Leonard was a kingpin in defence.

Their contribution to the Balluta Reds was immense as the team registered the first ever four league titles wins in succession between 1986 and 1989.

Few would have thought then that this success would be repeated in 2013 by two other brothers playing for Neptunes, Stevie and Jordan Camilleri. The former, a veritable goal machine and holder of an impressive number of individual honours, too many to mention, was instrumental in propelling the team to new heights in the last ten years, while the younger Jordan supplied Neptunes with dour defensive qualities as well as scoring ability.

Considering their young age, the Reds’ formidable duo, both automatic choices for Malta, may well break new ground in 2014 by making it a nap-hand of league wins on the trot with the same club.

There is no doubt that these ‘quadruple’ league feats by the Cachia and the Camilleri brothers will stand as shining beacons in the history of waterpolo in Malta.

Steve and Jordan Camilleri with the league winning Neptunes team in 2011