Balmain won thanks largely to Aussie Sharks centre forward Gavin Woods, who scored five goals.
In the women’s match, Balmain missed out on a chance to finish first as they fell 2-6 to fellow finalists Cronulla.
Balmain was unable to score in both the first and fourth quarters and it proved costly in the tight affair. For Cronulla sisters Mia and Jenna Santoromito scored twice each.
Wests Magpies finished fourth thanks to a 9-4 victory over Drummoyne Devils, who slipped down to fifth as a result of the loss.
Drummoyne was overrun in the final quarter, losing that period 1-4 after key players Mitchell Emery and Grant Richardson both received their third major fouls in the third quarter.
In Perth, Sydney University Lions held onto the top spot in the women’s league after beating UWA Comets 18-11.
Fiona Hammond scored five for the visitors while Keesja Gofers and Nikita Cuffe scored four each.
In the men’s match UWA Torpedoes put up a good fight against Lions but fell 6-9.
Nathan Cargill, Trent Franklin and Scott Nicholson scored two each for Sydney while veteran Brad Mercer scored four for the hosts.
In Adelaide, Victorian Tigers secured the sixth and final spot in the women’s finals series after beating Adelaide Jets 12-9.
Adelaide provided stronger resistance than expected but Victoria managed to grind out a win thanks to an 8-5 second half in their favour.
Victoria’s men enter the finals in second spot and in good form after beating Adelaide 14-7.
Aussie Shark Chris Gronow led the way with four for the visitors while Nicholas Martin scored two for Adelaide.
Results:
Men:
In Perth: Sydney University Lions 9 (N Cargill, T Franklin, S Nicholson 2, T Woudwyk, J Young, C Hammond) UWA Torpedoes 6 (B Mercer 4, H Brown, P Gaunt).
In Sydney: Balmain Tigers 13 (G Woods 5, J Falzon 3, C Dyson, I Calpin 2, N Falzon) Cronulla Sharks 9 (R Tracy, S McKenzie, D Wassell 2, B Ient, C Batty, S Hedland), Wests Magpies 9 (T Delany, D Swinnerton 2, S Cody, M Rapsey, R O’Brien, W Eames, C Eames) Drummoyne Devils 4 (M Emery, J Miller, G Richardson, T Miller).
In Adelaide: Victorian Tigers 14 (C Gronow 4, I Lark, S Lewis, T Neesham, L Gavin, T Curwen 2) Adelaide Jets 7 (N Martin 2, J McKown, L Northcott, P Harmer, T Dayman, J Frost).
Women:
In Perth: Sydney University Lions 18 (F Hammond 5, K Gofers, N Cuffe 4, S Cuffe 2, J Whitehorn, A Brightwell, E Feher) UWA Comets 11 (S Welch 4, J Dessauvagie 3, M Hausmann 2, C Ainsworth, J Sanders).
In Sydney: Cronulla Sharks 6 (M Santoromito, J Santoromito 2, J Liessmann, B Appel) Balmain Tigers 2 (L Varlow, B Smith).
In Adelaide: Victorian Tigers 12 (R Webster, B McGuiness 3, J Hanson, E Grahame 2, E Rosato, A Gronow) Adelaide Jets 9 (L Callahan, J Bowen, J Martin 2, S Ricketts, E Dearman, T Kearney).
 

Race for finals spots heats up after Hunter falls
Newcastle (April 6). – The race for finals spots heated up yesterday ahead of the final day of National Water Polo League competition.
In the most crucial game of the penultimate day of regular season matches, Balmain Tigers men kept their hopes of reaching next week’s finals alive with a 12-10 victory over fellow contenders Hunter Hurricanes.
Nick Falzon and Chris Dyson scored three goals each for Balmain while American import Justin Johnson scored five for the hosts.
Balmain now faces a crucial match against Cronulla today. Hunter now looks set to miss the finals as they will be overtaken if Balmain wins as expected, while the Tigers could miss out even if they win depending on how Sydney University fared against the Fremantle Mariners overnight.
In the women’s match Balmain beat Hunter 16-5, thanks in large part to seven goals to Taryn Woods.
Balmain now needs to beat Cronulla to help improve their ladder position.
In Perth, Sydney University Lions scored a thrilling 16-15 victory over Fremantle Marlins.
Taniele Gofers led the way for Lions with five goals while Fiona Hammond contributed four.
Fremantle will now enter the finals in fourth place while Sydney University has a strong chance of finishing first.
In Sydney, Wests Magpies helped their chances of reaching the finals with a 12-1 win over Cronulla Sharks.
Wests face a crucial match against Drummoyne today, with a win almost certain to ensure they compete in the finals next week.
Cronulla’s women beat the UNSW Killer Whales 16-2, thanks at four goals each to sisters Jenna and Mia Santoromito.
In Adelaide, Victorian Tigers women helped their chances of reaching the finals with a 17-11 victory over Adelaide Jets. Victoria now must beat Adelaide again today.
In the men’s match Victoria beat Adelaide 14-5, thanks in large part to four goals to Tom Curwen.
Victoria will now finish at least second, but could even finish first if they win today and if overnight results go their way.
Results:
Men:
In Sydney: Wests Magpies 12 (D Swinnerton, S Cody, T Blewitt, N Ling, R O'Brien 2, W Eames, P Jacobsen) Cronulla Sharks 1 (S Jones), Balmain Tigers 12 (N Falzon, C Dyson 3, J Falzon 2, M Lazic, J Davis, G Woods, C Wright) Hunter Hurricanes 10 (J Johnson 5, P Reid, R Sinclair 2, M Baird).
In Adelaide: Victorian Tigers 14 (T Curwen 4, L Gavin, S Lewis, I Lark, M Corr 2, M Bridgeman, J Disken) Adelaide Jets 5 (A Martin 2, N Martin, T Dayman, M Richardson).
Women:
In Sydney: Balmain Tigers 16 (T Woods 7, L Varlow 3, E Simms, L Higlett 2, R Rippon, A Bower) Hunter Hurricanes 5 (N McJannet, B Russell 2, C Ta'Avale), Cronulla Sharks 16 (J Santoromito, M Santoromito 4, P O'Neill 3, J Liessmann 2, H Lincoln-Smith, N Zagame, E Hamilton-Foster) UNSW Killer Whales 2 (K Armstrong, A Carter).
In Adelaide: Victorian Tigers 17 (R Webster 6, J Hanson, A Gronow, K Wilkinson, E Grahame 2, E Rossato, C Banks, A Van Ommen) Adelaide Jets 11 (L Callahan 4, J Martin 3, C Murphy 2, J Bowen, I Bishop).
In Perth: Sydney University Lions 16 (T Gofers 5, F Hammond 4, N Cuffe, M Hammond, S Cuffe 2, J Cox) Fremantle Marlins 15 (K Finucane 4, G Beadsworth, K Heuchan 3, Z Arancini, G Ralph 2, S Wheelock).
 

  Balmain Tigers women v UNSW Killer Whales and Balmain Tiger men v Cronulla Sharks.

Tigers keep hopes of top spot alive
Sydney (April 5). – The Balmain Tigers helped their chances of finishing on top of the ladder entering the finals with a comfortable 10-4 victory over the UNSW Killer Whales in women’s National Water Polo action at the UNSW pool last night.
With Balmain competing with Sydney University, Cronulla and Fremantle for the crucial top spot entering next week’s finals series, a win against the Killer Whales was vital for them and they did not disappoint.
Balmain had the game under control for all of the game, leading 6-3 at half time before killing off any chance of a Killer Whales resurgence with a 3-0 third quarter.
Lauren Varlow led the way for the Tigers with three goals while Bronwyn Smith contributed two. UNSW had four players score one goal each.
The Tigers will likely have to win their final two games, against the Hunter Hurricanes in Newcastle today, and then at Cronulla on Sunday to have any chance of claiming top spot, while UNSW will claim the wooden spoon unless they can cause an upset by beating Cronulla today.
Results:
Women:
In Sydney: Balmain Tigers 10 (L Varlow 3, B Smith 2, Y Schmidt, T Woods, L Simms, R Rippon, L Higlett) UNSW Killer Whales 4 (K Armstrong, A Carter, K Moran, L Finlayson).

NWPL finals loom with final weekend of qualifying 

Sydney (April 4).— Action hots up this weekend to decide the final placings for next week's National Water Polo League finals in Sydney.

Fremantle mariners men are a whisper away from the Southern Cross Trophy for men and Sydney University Lions  are making a late play for the women's trophy.

The Mariners, Victorian Tigers  KFC Queensland Breakers, newcomers Drummoyne Devils, Hunter Hrricanes and Wests Magpies have the inside edge for the men's finals. 

Sydney Uni Lions, Balmain Tigers, Cronulla Sharks, Fremantle Marlins, Brisbane Barracudas and Victorian Tigers are the likely women's finalists. 

Watch this site for all the details leading into the finals and make sure you attend the finals. Full details are included in teh draw section.