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AWARDS

	BOYS		GIRLS
GOLD MEDAL	Fremantle Mariners		Cronulla
SILVER MEDAL	Drummoyne		Sydney University
BRONZE MEDAL	Barracudas		Drummoyne A
PLAYER OF THE SERIES	Aaron Younger Fremantle		Bre Appel Conulla
GOALKEEPER OF THE SERIES	Eddie Slade Fremantle		Serena Reid Drummoyne A
HIGHEST GOAL SCORER	Jarrod Gilchrist Victorian Tigers 18 goals		Alicia Brightwell Sydney University 26 goals

BOYS

GIRLS

Group winner Cronulla bypassed the elimination finals and easily accounted for the University of NSW 13-5 in their semifinal before advancing to the final, beating Sydney University 10-6 to maintain an impeccable record since the competition started.

Bre Appel starred for Cronulla, justifiably winning the player-of-the-series award.

Sydney University had a tough road to the final, holding out Sydney Northern Beaches 9-8 in the elimination finals and then having to fend off group winner Drummoyne A 4-2 in the semifinals.

Perth’s Fremantle Mariners won the boys’ crown for the first time.

Fired up by player of the series Aaron Younger and goalkeeper of the series Eddie Slade, Fremantle beat Sydney’s Drummoyne 8-5 in the gold-medal final.

For Fremantle it was a sweet victory after drawing with Drummoyne 6-all in the group stage but finishing second on goal difference.

Fremantle had to come through to the final with a 5-2 elimination-final win over Queensland’s KFC Breakers and then dispense with group winner Wests of Sydney 14-8 in the semifinals.

Drummoyne needed extra time to defeat Brisbane Barracudas 17-16 in the semifinals after a 14-all fulltime score, proving most tiring in the lead-up to the final.

The bronze medals went to Barracudas in the boys’ match, downing Wests 16-11, while the girls’ bronze was collected by Drummoyne A with a 9-7 margin over Uni NSW.

Results:
Day 4:
Boys:
First elimination final, Barracudas 10 (D Young 3, D Hicks, B Edwards, BJ Howden 2, M Giles) Victorian Tigers 2 (J Woods, J Ogilvie-Lee); second elimination final, Fremantle Mariners 5 (J Swift 3, J Fannon, S Kovalenko) KFC Breakers 2 (L Mortimer, M Wilson). Play-offs: For 11th & 12th, UWA Torpedoes 9 (C Nicholls 3, C Skender 2, J Kagi, P Salter, H Brown, J Nowers) Hunter 5 (B Oliver, A Bennie 2, J Doust); for 9th & 10th, Cronulla 12 (S Jones 4, J May, D Wassell 3, P Falson, N Cowan) Adelaide Vikings 8 (T Dayman, J Frost 3, G Bretag-Norris, W Dayman); for 7th & 8th, Sydney University 7 (C Whittaker, J Davie, H Cuthill 2, C Martin) QLD Country 5 (M Fettell 2, J Bracey, P Carter, T Southern); for 5th * 6th, Victorian Tigers 11 (J Gilchrist 3, M Gronow, J Woods, N Broadhead 2, J Ogilvie-Lee, J Wallace-Smith) KFC Breakers 4 (L Mortimer 2, B Walker, N Day). Semifinals: Drummoyne 17 (M Emery 5, A Roach 4, A Polivka, T Martin 3, R Lear, B Scott) Barracudas 16 (D Hicks 5, B Edwards, D Young, M Giles 3, BJ Howden, B Hewitt) in extra time, Fremantle Mariners 14 (J Swift 7, A Younger 4, R Burrows, J Dodd, S Kovalenko) Wests 8 (W Eames 3, J Burton 2, M Hay, M Ali, P Sindone).
Day 5:
Bronze medal, Barracudas 16 (BJ Howden 5, B Edwards, D Young 3, D Hicks, B McMahon 2, M Giles) Wests 11 (P Sindone 3, M Ali, W Eames, J Burton 2, M Sindone, M De Gail); gold medal, Fremantle Mariners 8 (J Swift 3, J Fannon 2, A Petrov, J Dodd, S Higgins) Drummoyne 5 (A Polivka 2, A Roach, M Emery, T Martin).
Awards: Player of the series, Aaron Younger (Fremantle); goalkeeper of the series, Eddie Slade (Fremantle); highest goal-scorer, Jarrod Gilchrist (Victorian Tigers) 18.
Girls:
Day 4:
First elimination final, Sydney University 9 (A Brightwell 6, L Hoban, A Bartho, J Cox) Sydney Northern Beaches 8 (K Leathem 3, L Maslen 2, H Buckling, K Farrell, E Carr); second elimination final, Uni NSW 4 (A Carter 2, S Grunberger, C Keogh) Barracudas 1 (JL Lewis). Play-offs, For 13th & 14th, KFC Breakers White 7 (G Taylor 2, C Armstrong, K Borleis, I Krippner, C Sheville, S Kramer) Balmain 4 (G Saville 2, A Bott, S Pow); for 11th & 12th, Drummoyne B 7 (B White, S Polivka 2, S Piper, S Martin, A Jones) QLD Country 3 (S Connolly, L Mullen, A Southern); for 9th & 10th, Victorian Tigers 6 (E Grahame, G Venosta 2, A Broadhead, M Morrison) Hunter 4 (S Jones, B McConville, N McJannet, J Singleton); for 7th & 8th, KFC Breakers Red 6 (K Lee-Williams 3, K Miller, E Bowden, A Smith) Adelaide United 4 (I Bishop 3, K Antle); for 5th & 6th, Barracudas 10 (G Wikman 3, JL Lewis, K McAfee, A Walters 2, L Coburn) Sydney Northern Beaches 7 (E Scott, E Carr, K Leathem 2, H Buckling). Semifinals: Sydney University 4 (A Brightwell, J Mee, G Clarke, J Cox) Drummoyne A 2 (E Pittorino 2), Cronulla 13 (N Zagame 7, B Appel 3, R Lissa 2, E Nicholson) Uni NSW 5 (A Carter 3, S Grunberger, C Keogh).
Day 5:
Bronze medal, Drummoyne A 9 (E Pittorino 3, S Dill Macky, D Boyle 2, H Cook, M Baxter) Uni NSW 7 (A Carter, K Mirabito 2, S Grunberger, K Armstrong, A Ambados); gold medal, Cronulla 10 (R Lissa, N Zagame 4, B Appel 2) Sydney University 6 (J Cox 3, A Brightwell 2, G Clarke).
Awards: Player of the series, Bre Appel (Cronulla); goalkeeper of the series, Serena Reid (Drummoyne A); highest goal-scorer, Alicia Brightwell (Sydney University) 26.

FINALS GAMES

LADDERS AT THE END OF PRELIMINARY ROUNDS

RESULTS

DRAW 

 Click here for the 18 & Under Draw

ENTRIES

Sydney girls dominate 18 and Under nationals
Brisbane (April 26).—  Sydney’s Cronulla and Drummoyne won their groups in preparation for the finals series of the national 18 years and under club water polo championships in Brisbane.

Both teams were undefeated and will still have to come through semifinals before tomorrow’s medal round.

It was tighter in the boys’ competition where the leading Group B teams, Drummoyne and Fremantle Mariners, from Perth, fought out a 6-all draw to finish equal top.

Sydney’s Wests topped Group A by four points with Victorian Tigers winning the battle of the next three for second place.

Drummoyne duo driving team towards 18 & Under finals
Brisbane (April 25).—
Tyler Martin and Mitch Emery are driving their Drummoyne team towards the finals of the national 18 years and under water polo club championships in Brisbane.

After two days of competition they lead the goal-scoring competition with 14 and 12 goals respectively as Drummoyne heads up Group B with four wins from four outings, the same number as Perth’s Fremantle Mariners.

Sydney’s Wests leads Group A by a clear three points from Queensland’s KFC Breakers in a group that could have a battle for second place by tomorrow.

In the girls’ competition, Cronulla heads up Group A with five wins and Sydney Northern Beaches leads Group B from Drummoyne, who have a game in hand and has yet to lose.

The competition finals are on Sunday.

Day 1 starts at All Hallows School (Boys) and Valley pools (Girls).
An invitation is extended to Clubs to enter teams in the 18 & Under National Club Championships for Boys and Girls (born 1990 or later). These Championships will be held in Brisbane, Queensland, 23-27 April 2008. 

VENUES
Valley Pool
432 Wickham Street
Valley

All Hallows School
589 Anne Street
Brisbane

DATES
The dates for these Championships are 23-27 April 2008 inclusive.

CLOSING DATE FOR ENTRIES
Entries to these Championships are invited.
Entries are now open and will close with AWPI on or before Wednesday 12 March 2008.
Your entry must be accompanied by entry fee and is to be submitted on the competition entry form/tax invoice. Payment should be made to AWPI.
The Entry Fee is $275.00 per team (includes GST) payable to AWPI to accompany team entry. A pool entry fee of $20 per player will apply to all team players, which will be payable to the host Association (QWPI) at the Managers’ pre tournament meeting.
Entry fee for teams entering after the closing date of 12 March 2008 is $550.

FORMS
Note that all forms can be used electronically, which is the preferred method of receiving forms and information.
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 2008 18 & Under Entry Form
2008 18 & Under Team Nomination Form
2008 18 & Under Air Travel Form

TEAMS
Teams will be limited to thirteen (13) players per team.
Please note that the names of players (along with their date of birth) in cap number order are required to be submitted to AWPI by Friday 11 April 2008.

PLAYER & TEAM ELIGIBILITY
Please note that all players must be registered with their State Association and comply with the Date of Birth criterion.

Guidelines of ELIGIBILITY for Club Championships (updated 5/12/06)

METROPOLITAN CLUBS
1. Registered members of a club may form one or more club teams. Members must be registered with the club prior to the Call for Entries is issued, 14 February 2008.
2. Registered Members of clubs aligned with National League teams may form one or more club teams.
3. Members outside the above may form teams but not participate in finals.

REGIONAL CLUBS/ASSOCIATIONS
1. Registered members of a club may form one or more club teams. Members must be registered with the club/association prior to the Call for Entries is issued, 14 February 2008.
2. Members of clubs aligned with a regional association may form one or more regional teams.
3. Members outside the above may form teams but not participate in finals.

TWILIGHT CLAUSE STATES (SA, TAS, ACT, VIC)
1. Registered members of a club may form one or more club teams. Members must be registered with the club prior to the Call for Entries is issued, 14 February 2008.
2. Registered Members of clubs aligned with National League teams may form one or more club teams.
3. Members of State Association may form one or more Association teams.
4. Members outside the above may form teams but not participate in finals.

REFEREES
The name of the referee accompanying the team must be notified at the time of lodgement of the initial Entry Form. Entry Forms that do not nominate a referee will not be accepted.
There will be no centralised accommodation arrangements made for referees, teams must handle this themselves.

PROGRAM
Games will commence at 8.00 am on the morning of Wednesday 23 April 2008.
The program and format of the championship will depend upon the number of teams entering.
Every endeavour will be made to maximise the number of games each team will play.
The format will be advised shortly after entries close.

PRE-EVENT MEETINGS
Meetings for the Coaches and Managers, and Referees will be held prior to the start of the event at 6.00pm on Tuesday 22 April 2008 (venue to be confirmed).
Your cooperation is sought in having a representative at these meetings.

TEAM TRAVEL
Teams may make their own travel arrangements.
AWPI can provide a competitive quote for air travel should teams wish to enquire.
Please contact Julia Annells on 03 6216 8999 and Julia will obtain a quote.

Note that the program will be designed to allow teams to catch evening flights back to their home town on Sunday 27 April 2008. As a guide, teams should arrive on Tuesday 22 April in time to have a representative at the 6.00 pm Coaches/Managers Meeting (games start 8.00 am on 23 April) and plan to depart around 6.00 pm on the 27 April 2008.

PRESENTATIONS
Opening and Closing Ceremonies will be conducted during the Championships and all teams are asked to attend in full uniform.

COMPETITION RULES
Rules under which the Championships are to be conducted will be advised following the close of entries, as the Rules will be dependent upon the event format.

CODE OF CONDUCT
The Championships will be conducted under the Constitution and By-Laws of Australian Water Polo Inc.
Your attention is drawn to the Codes of Conduct contained in Section 7 of the By-Laws for Players, Referees, Officials, Spectators and others.

CHILD PROTECTION LEGISLATION
In accordance with the Australian Water Polo Inc Member Protection Policy which is binding on ALL members of AWPI, the following commitments must be met by Managers, Coaches and Referees who have contact with children under the age of eighteen years.
Managers, Coaches and Referees visiting Queensland must comply with State Legislative requirements.

DRUG POLICY
Australian Water Polo Incorporated supports the Australian Government, the Australian Sports Commission, the Australian Olympic Committee, and the Australian Sports Drug Agency in their efforts to eradicate the use of drugs in sport. AWPI has published an anti-doping policy, which will be adhered to for this event.

MEDIA STATEMENTS
States, Clubs and teams shall be permitted to promote the event and or their team within their own state (subject to AWPI approval). However, no competitor, team manager, official or spokesperson for a state or team shall make media statements that could bring the 2008 National Club Championships Boys and Girls 18 Years and Under, its sponsor, or officials into controversy. Such statements shall be deemed to be a breach of AWPI discipline and may be dealt with accordingly.

THEFT
Any person/s found stealing signage or any equipment owned by Australian Water Polo Inc or Queensland Water Polo Inc or Valley Pool or All Hallows School or other venues may be immediately reported to police and that person/s will be brought before the AWPI Judiciary. Please note that automatic disqualification of the team from the championship will occur if any member is found guilty of theft.

SPONSORSHIP
Teams may pursue their own sponsorship for the Championships, however, in the event of teams having conflict with event sponsors or AWPI sponsors, the latter will have precedence.

INJURY STATISTICS
Australian Water Polo Inc is vitally interested in collecting injury statistics and, hence, forms will be provided at the briefing meeting to allow feedback of this information to AWPI.
Please be aware that these form require no private information on the player or access to their medical records.

IMPORTANT DATES

QUERIES
If you have any queries, please contact
Peter Hobday
Operations Manager AWPI
PO Box 60
Lindisfarne TAS 7015
03 62168999
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ACTION PHOTOS

credit www.pearsephotography.com.au