2011 18 & Under National Championships
Click here to download award winners and final placings
Day 6: Queensland girls break NSW dominance
Queensland Maroon has produced one of the great turnarounds in national championship history to become the first team outside of New South Wales to claim the 18 & under girl’s title.
They beat the undefeated WA Gold 7-3 in today’s final.
Having defied the odds to progress to the grand final after two round robin losses, Queensland overcame a sluggish start and a two goal deficit to fight back with seven straight scores.
Margaret Morrison and Emily Benson (Player of the Tournament) led the way with two goals each and goalkeeper Emily Williams (Goalkeeper of the Tournament) put in an inspired performance to help clinch the title for the Queenslanders.
Coach of Queensland Maroon, Nicola Johnson said the win means a lot to the girls with victories over WA Gold and NSW Blues major achievements for the team.
“It is a fantastic feeling. To finish in third during the main rounds and then come out and beat both teams we lost to is just great,” she said.
“We had a game plan for the girls to follow but it just did not pan out in the first quarter and we fell behind 2-1. However at the break we told the girls to start over again, regain their composure and try and revisit our original game plan and we did.”
Five consecutive goals in the second quarter opened up an unassailable lead and the reassuring figure of Williams in goal ensured there would be no fight back from the Western Australians.
“Our goal keeper Emma was extraordinary, she saved goals that WA Gold would normally have got,” Johnson said.
With a very young squad the gold medal could point to bigger and better things for much of the group.
“A lot of our girls will go onto future representation and some even into the national squad, and as we are a lot younger than other teams most of us will be back her next year as well.”
The 7-3 win came after a 9-7 loss to their grand final opponent’s mid-week, while the 10-8 loss to NSW Blues was backed up by an 8-6 win in the semi-final.
In a repeat of last year’s boy’s grand final, NSW Blues put a scrappy performance behind them to claim their third straight title with an 8-6 win over WA Gold.
Paul Sindone starred with five goals and while the team was happy with the result, coach Les Kay said he was a little bit disappointed by how the group played.
“We played dumb and ditched our structure we had in place, but a win is a win,” he said.
“While I’m not as happy, a third straight title is very good for the boys and as they put the hard yards in a win is very good for them.”
The NSW Blues ended the championships with all three individual award winners with Alex Hrysanthos, Alex Bennie and Nathan Power each claiming their respective Goalkeeper of the Tournament, Top Scorer of the Tournament and MVP titles.
“Those boys along with our captain have all now been named in the national rep team so that is good for them,” Kay said.
The bronze medal matches saw the NSW Blues girls easily account for their interstate counterparts NSW Waratahs 11-3, while the Victorian boys’ team claimed their second straight third placing with a 9-4 win over Queensland Maroon.
18 & Under National Championships Honour Roll
Boy’s:
Gold –NSW Blues; Silver – WA Gold; Bronze – Victoria
Player of the Series – Nathan Power (NSW); Leading Goal Scorer – Alex Bennie (NSW); Goal Keeper – Alex Hrysanthos (NSW)
Girl’s:
Gold –Queensland Maroon; Silver – WA Gold; Bronze – NSW Blues
Player of the Series – Emily Benson (Queensland Maroon); Leading Goal Scorer – Amber Grahame (Victoria); Goal Keeper – Emma Williams (Queensland Maroon)
Day 5: WA Gold set up chance at two titles
WA Gold will aim for a pair of National 18 & Under titles at the Valley Pool tomorrow after both their boy’s and girl’s sides won tough semi-finals today.
The unbeaten WA boy’s team set up a mouth watering clash with the undefeated NSW Blue side, while the girl’s earnt a shot at the national crown against Queensland Maroon.
In the boy’s games at the Valley Pool the Western Australians snuck through to the final after a hard fought 3-2 win over a plucky Victorian side, while the Les Kay coached NSW side pulled away from Queensland Maroon in the second half to score a 14-5 victory.
The girl’s semi-finals at Albany Creek saw WA Gold score a 10-5 win over NSW Waratahs before Queensland Maroon reversed their preliminary round defeat at the hands of NSW Blue by winning a tight tussle 8-6. The loss to NSW Blue meant the early competition front runners lost their last two games - one against each of the eventual finalists.
According to WA Gold boy’s coach Paul Oberman his side’s clash was much tougher than expected with the Victorians showing steel in defence that forced the game into a nail biting final quarter. Oberman had mixed feelings about his team’s efforts, noting they had been poor in extra man attack.
“That was much tougher than expected and one of the reasons was we didn’t put away our opportunities in extra man,” Oberman said.
“We had three good opportunities in extra man where we couldn’t get a ball in the goal. Overall we were none from four in extra.”
Looking ahead to the final, Oberman said his team would study the film of the NSW side and devise tactics to suit the game.
“We’ll look at how NSW play. They will defend differently to the Victorians (and) with their much bigger bodies will push out on us,” Oberman said.
“Different opposition means different tactics - it’s horses for courses.
“When you’re in the final it’s a two horse race. We have to take our opportunities early and put scoreboard pressure on them.”
In other boy’s matches NSW Waratahs beat Queensland White 9-6 for fifth place, WA Black overcame South Australia 10-8 for seventh and ACT defeated Tasmania 12-8 for ninth.
All medal games will be played tomorrow at the Valley Pool and will be streamed live on rivusTV via the Australian Water Polo website.
Day 4: Semi-finalists decided after preliminary rounds conclude
Queensland Maroon has defeated Queensland White 13-6 in a playoff to determine which hometown team will take on the undefeated NSW Blue in tomorrow’s crucial boy’s semi-final at the Valley Pool.
Led by four first quarter goals from centre forward Tyler Sinclair, the Maroons were always on top of their less experienced state-mates.
Maroon’s coach Chris Corbin was pleased with the win but has already begun focusing on their next matchup against NSW, knowing it will be much tougher. The NSW squad have amassed 75 goals and conceded just 13 in the preliminary rounds of the tournament.
“Tyler really stepped up early and made the game a bit easier for us,” Corbin said.
“We were on top the whole game but you never know when you are playing your ‘younger brother’. That team (QLD White) has snuck up on a few other teams already this week.
“The game against NSW is going to be a good one, they haven’t lost a game.
“(But) I never lost to NSW in my playing days and I don’t plan to start now I am coaching.”
The other semi-final will be played between WA Gold and Victoria after the Vics beat NSW Waratahs 7-4 with Joshua Barrington netting three goals.
The Waratahs will now play Queensland White in the battle for 5th and 6th. Other results mean the 7th v 8th playoff will be between WA Black and South Australia, while the 9th v 10th game will see Tasmania take on ACT.
The final round robin games in the girl’s draw were completed over at Albany Creek with the WA Gold team the only undefeated squad after they got over the top of NSW Blue in the battle of the ‘unbeatens’ in the round’s last match.
WA scored eight to NSW’s seven and will now go into their semi-final tomorrow against the other NSW side, the Waratahs, confident of reaching Sunday’s final. NSW Blue will play Queensland Maroon in their semi-final.
Day 3: NSW Blue, WA Gold through to boy's semis, remain unbeaten in girl's round robin
The NSW Blue and WA Gold boy’s water polo team’s have earnt themselves a well earned day off and a seeding straight through to Saturday’s semi-finals after topping their respective groups at the 18 & Under National Championships at the Valley Pool.
Both the NSW Blue and WA Gold teams were undefeated in their four pool games with the NSW squad amassing 75 goals and conceding just 13, while the Western Australians had a for and against of 62-22.
Victoria and Queensland Maroon each finished second in their groups, earning themselves a playoff in the next round tomorrow with NSW Waratahs and Queensland White respectively – the winners going into the semi-finals.
Today NSW Blues had a tough 10-6 win over Queensland White while WA Gold ensured their pool victory by beating Queensland Maroon 14-4.
At the Albany Creek pool it was again the NSW Blue and WA Gold teams standing out in the girl’s competition – the pair remaining the only undefeated teams in the round robin stage of the tournament with one day of preliminaries to be played tomorrow.
Each has won six games with the NSW Blues holding a 95-37 for and against, whilst the WA Gold team sit with 82 goals for and 33 against.
Matilda Connor of WA Gold
Day 2: WA Gold score upset in girl's draw while NSW Blue Boy's roll on
The Western Australian Gold team have upset hometown favourites the Queensland Maroons 9-7 in a heavyweight clash at Albany Creek.
The Maroons had come into the clash having amassed a total of 42-5 in their two previous games against the Queensland White and WA Black teams but they were no match for coach Peter Szilagyi’s WA Gold team today.
The team have now won four games in the opening rounds and the platform for those victories has been their defence, something that Szilagyi was over the moon with. WA Gold has kept their opposition in those four games to just 17 goals.
“I’m pleased the players are all playing well and I am mainly pleased that we have been able to keep the other teams down to 17 goals against us which is pretty good,” Szilagyi said.
“I am happy definitely, also because all of our players are scoring goals and it’s not just been down to one or two players.”
In the win over the Queensland Maroons, WA’s Matilda Connor netted three, while Kassia Ralston and Cathryn Earl scored two apiece.
The WA Gold girl’s then went on to defeat the NSW Waratahs’ team 14-5 while Queensland Maroons bounced back with a 21-7 win over South Australia.
Despite their success today Szilagyi was not getting ahead of himself and his team’s chances.
“Queensland and NSW both have really strong teams,” Szilagyi said. “We aim to be in the final but it’s step by step.
“I don’t look any further ahead than our two games tomorrow.”
Over at the Valley Pool where the corresponding boy’s tournament is being played the NSW Blues team continued to show their strength by notching up wins against Tasmania and Victoria.
The Tasmania match was a 28-1 win and the Victorian game, while fairly evenly matched in the first half also turned in to a comfortable victory 14-5.
Gordon Marshall and Matt Skinner snared six goals against Tasmania, while Alex Bennie (pictured below) put six past the keeper against Victoria.
Day 1: NSW Blues run up big early scores
The NSW Blues teams have both had big wins in the first round on the opening day of the 2011 18 & Under National Championships in Brisbane.
The defending champion boy's team got their campaign underway with a 23-1 win over WA Black at the Valley Pool while the girl's squad got their title defence going by defeating NSW Waratahs 15-6 at Albany Creek.
The Waratahs then bounced back to overcome Victoria 13-10.
Other big winners included Victoria 27-7 over Tasmania in the boy's and Queensland Maroon 20-3 over Queensland White in the girl's.
Sydney (April 13) Youth Girls Training Camp (94 and younger)
There will be a training camp from the 1st -3rd May following the U/18 Australian Championships. The camp will be held at the Gold Coast. A squad of 26 athletes will be selected on performance during the Championships. The squad will be announced following the finals in Brisbane.
All 94 athletes taking part in the U/18 Championships should come prepared for the camp with gym clothes and quality sports shoes as well as their pool gear.
If you have any concerns please contact Jenny MacGregor 0400 360 318
Thanks
Jenny MacGregor
Sydney (March 16) Entries have been received from
BOYS | GIRLS |
|---|---|
Qld Maroon | Qld Maroon |
Qld White | Qld White |
NSW Blues | NSW Blues |
NSW Waratahs | NSW Waratahs |
Victoria | Victoria |
South Australia | South Australia |
WA Gold | WA Gold |
WA Black | WA Black |
ACT | |
Tasmania |
Sydney (February 11) - Please note the venue change for the 18 & Under Championships to Brisbane
Sydney (February 8).— Entries are now open for the stated based 2011 18 & Under National Championships for Boys and Girls born 1993 or later to be held in Brisbane, QLD, 26 April-1 May 2011. Please note that entries close Tuesday 1 March 2011.
TEAMS
For the National Championships for Boys and Girls 18 Years and Under, Members may enter a second team based on the guideline that the second team is not a development 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 12 April 2011.
VENUE
The venues will be
Valley Pool and Albany Creek Pool
DATES
The dates for these Championships are 26 April - 1 May 2011 inclusive.
CLOSING DATE FOR ENTRIES
Entries are now open and will close with AWPI on Tuesday 1 March 2011.
Your entry must be accompanied by the entry fee and is to be submitted on the competition entry form/tax invoice. Payment to be made to AWPI.
The Entry Fee is $750.00 per team (+ GST) payable to AWPI to accompany each team entry.
FORMS
Note that all forms can be used electronically, which is the preferred method of receiving forms and information.
Email address - peter.hobday@australianwaterpolo.com.au
2011 18 & Under Entry Form2011 18 & Under Team Nomination Form2011 18 & Under Air Travel Form2011 18 & Under Athlete Draft Form
2011 18 & Under Photo Order Form
PLAYER & TEAM ELIGIBILITY
Please note that all players must be registered with their State Association and comply with the Date of Birth criterion.
STATE ASSOCIATIONS
May enter two (2) teams in each gender Championship, provided that the second team is not deemed to be a development team.
Teams may list a maximum of 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 Tuesday 12 April 2011. Please note that all players must be registered with their State Association and comply with the Date of Birth and residency criteria.
REFEREES The name of the referee accompanying the team must be notified at the time of lodgment of the initial Entry Form. Entry Forms that do not nominate a referee will not be accepted. There will be centralised accommodation arrangements made for referees, and charged to State Associations at the rate of $95 per night per team. This cost will include ground transport for referees. The nominated referee must be independent of the role of coach and/or manager of a team entered in either gender.
ATHLETE DRAFT
The ‘Athlete Draft’ will be conducted in accordance with the procedure detailed in the By-Laws of Australian Water Polo Inc and set out below:
(1) Member Bodies may make formal representation to the Operations Manager of AWPI to include a maximum of three (3) seconded players from other Member Bodies in their National Championship teams. This must be done at least 30 days prior to the Championship, no later than Tuesday 29 March 2011.
(2) Member Bodies must advise of names of players not required for inclusion in their team, no later than Tuesday 12 April 2011.
(3) Players named by Member Bodies (2 above) will be placed in a pool from which member Bodies may ‘Draft’ athletes.
(a) the ‘Draft’ will be carried out by preference given to that Member Body which finished with the lowest rank at the previous National Championships. As this is the first 18 & Under National Championships, first selection will be made on toss of a coin and so on;
(b) The athlete’s Member Body must retain the first right of refusal for the athlete’s services;
(c) Within the said 30 days period prior to commencement of the National Championships, Members may make application to the Board of AWPI for the release of drafted players to return to their home Member Body. The Board should deal with the request with absolute discretion;
(d) Prior to inclusion in the draft pool, the player must give written authorisation for inclusion in the draft (refer copy of attached ‘Athlete Draft - Agreement Form’). Once such authorisation is given, the player is bound to play with the Member Body to whom he/she is drafted; the ‘Athlete Draft – Agreement Form’ must also be endorsed by the respective Member Body of the player seeking to be included in the Draft.
(e) Financial arrangements will be a matter of private negotiation between the drafted player and the Member Body.
PROGRAM
Games will commence at 8.30 am on the morning of Tuesday 26 April 2011.
The program and format of the championship will depend upon the number of teams entering.
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 7.00pm on Monday 25 April 2011 at Sports House, Brisbane.
Your cooperation is sought in having a representative at these meetings.
TEAM TRAVEL
As a guide, teams should arrive in Brisbane on Monday 25 April 2011 in time to have a representative at the 7.00 pm Coaches/Managers Meeting (games start 8.30 am on 26 April) and plan to depart on flights around 6.00 pm on the 1 May 2011.
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.
PRESENTATIONS
Opening and Closing Ceremonies will be conducted during the Championships and all teams are required 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.
Therapeutic Use Exemptions
Please note that athletes may be subject to drug testing and they must ensure that appropriate forms are completed if they are taking medication.
If in doubt please refer to the ASADA web site (a link is provided at the above web site address.)
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 2011 National 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 the Gold Coast Aquatic Centre 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.
QUERIES If you have any queries, please contact
Peter Hobday
Operations Manager AWPI
PO Box 60
Lindisfarne TAS 7015
03 62168999
