13.08.2012

The Australian men’s water polo team, the Aussie Sharks, have defeated the USA 10-9 in their seventh versus eighth classification game to send off retiring legends Gavin Woods and Thomas Whalan and celebrate Sam McGregor’s 28th birthday, in style.

Both Woods and Whalan scored in their final appearances to hand the Sharks a seventh place finish and seal Australia’s best result at the Olympics since 1992.

The 31-year-old Whalan now ends his 325 game career with 33 Olympic goals to his name and a sense of satisfaction after four terrific Olympic campaigns.

“I’m coming away with a massive smile on my face,” Whalan said.

“While seventh isn’t the best result we wanted by any stretch of the imagination, we did play exceptionally well in the games we had to and we showed that Australia does have the level of water polo to compete with the big nations.

“Seventh is my personal best at the Olympics so obviously I’m smiling about that. “It would have been great to get a medal, but we’ve came the closest we’ve ever had so it’s been very enjoyable.”

The Sharks set the tone for the win with a brilliant opening term courtesy of goals to Rhys Howden, Billy Miller and Whalan. The Sharks’ top three scorers at the Olympics – Miller 13, Howden 10, and Whalan 8 – were clinical in their finishes as they converted off the back of sweeping counter-attacks by the Australians.

It was much of the same in the second period, as the Sharks defence created numerous turnovers which allowed Miller to score his second and Woods his first. Centre back Aaron Younger had his best match of the Olympics, manning up on the hulking Ryan Bailey, to thwart countless US attacks.

For Woods, it was his fifth goal at London Olympics and the 19th of his glittering Olympic career.

The Sharks extended their lead in the third term scoring three goals to one. Miller again demonstrated his transition into one of Australia’s sharpest outside shooters with a fine conversion from the left, while Jamie Beadsworth and Richie Campbell netted the others.

Beadsworth’s goal came off a superb assist from Whalan and was the perfect reward for the Western Australian’s tireless effort at centre forward.

The Sharks put the icing on the cake in the final term, with Campbell netting two more to bring up his hat-trick. The US was able to rally late in the quarter to reduce the margin to one, but the Sharks had done enough to secure the much deserved win.

For coach John Fox it was a great way to end the tournament and a vast improvement from the team’s effort in Beijing four years ago.

“I told the guys that it was important that they enjoyed themselves out there today and I think it was evident that we all did,” Fox said.

“It’s been a great improvement for Australian water polo and we’ve made a lot of inroads. Hopefully this is now the building block that we need to make some big strides in the next few years.”

Aussie Sharks

Joel Dennerley, Richie Campbell, Tim Cleland, Johnno Cotterill, Aaron Younger, Jamie Beadsworth, Aidan Roach, Sam McGregor, Thomas Whalan, Gavin Woods, Rhys Howden, Billy Miller, James Clark

Result: Australia 10 bt USA 9

Qtrs: 3-1, 2-2, 3-1, 2-5

X man for: 2 from 4

X man against: 6 from 9

AUS Scorers: Billy Miller 3, Richie Campbell 3, Thomas Whalan, Gavin Woods, Rhys Howden, Jamie Beadsworth

Billy Miller netted another two to take his tournament tally to ten (Grant Treeby Images)

Sharks fall to Hungary

The Australian men’s water polo team has again produced a gallant effort going down to three-time reigning Olympic champions Hungary 10-9 in a heated fifth versus eighth playoff.

The Aussie Sharks led 9-8 with just under two minutes remaining before Hungary netted two unanswered goals in the final exchanges to steal the contest.

Billy Miller had the opportunity to put Australia ahead in the dying seconds but a brilliant one on one save by Viktor Nagy and a rapid counter by the Hungarians gave them the lead.

Australia had one final chance to salvage a draw and send the game into extra-time but a desperate attack failed to produce, as Thomas Whalan ended the game with exclusion.

The closing stages were unfortunately another example of the lack of reward given to the Australian’s for their tremendous centre forward work and dynamic driving.

Coach John Fox, who felt the Sharks’ had often been on the receiving end of poor refereeing decisions this tournament, indicated that maybe the Australian’s had to win a couple of big games before earning the respect of the officials.

“Again you can’t fault the guys’ effort,” Fox said. “We’ve just got to be respected for what we’re doing in these last couple of games.”

“It would be great to the get results on the board, but maybe that’s a process we have to go through before we can be considered alongside these top four teams.”

Australian centre back Tim Cleland, who did a brilliant job taking on the lion’s share of the tight defence on the hulking Hungarian centre forwards, agreed with his coach saying Australia’s inability to win the tight games was costing them.

“It seems like it’s a tradition with Australian water polo that we seem to get so close yet so far,” Cleland said.

“It’s something we have been trying to work on over the last four years but we haven’t quite gotten there. We found out against Serbia and again today that it’s something we need to work on.

“We need to work out what we have to do to change that.”

Skipper Sam McGregor got the Sharks off to a great start netting Australia’s first courtesy of a brilliant counter set up by Gavin Woods, before Hungary scored four straight goals to take command of the contest.

Sensing a shift in momentum, coach Fox called an early time out urging his boys to lift the intensity – and it paid off.

Aaron Younger netted his second of the tournament with a lightning outside strike, before McGregor scored his second and Billy Miller continued his great form with an early double.

The Sharks defence was also superb with 20-year-old James Clark, in his first starting role for Australia, leading the way. The Balmain shot-stopper thwarted numerous Hungarian strikes, before pulling off consecutive saves during a crucial double extra man play for Hungary, to draw Australia level 6-6 at half time.

Hungary scored the only goal of the third term, but the referees were still working overtime. McGregor and Hungarian centre forward Balazs Harai, who had been having a running battle all quarter, were both excluded from the match for good for the continued indiscretions.

Then with 28 second to go Younger received his third major foul of the game too – prematurely ending his night and prompting Australian coach John Fox to question the decision which in turn earned him a yellow card.

Whalan scored in extra man 90 seconds into the last quarter to once again lock things up before big Cleland showed his skill at the offensive end with a rocket of a goal from nine metres out. Suddenly Australia was back in the lead at 8-7.

Hungary’s legendary head coach Denes Kemeny called a timeout when Rhys Howden was excluded with 3:16 remaining in the game and the Hungarians tied the game at 8-all following some well drilled passing sequences. But Howden bounced back almost immediately with a goal at the other end before Hungarian captain Peter Biros got his third of the game to make it nine goals apiece.

Hungary scored next to take back the lead and set up a tense last minute and when Jamie Beadsworth earned an exclusion while being monstered in centre forward, Fox called a timeout to draw up an extra man play. But the Australians couldn’t get an effective shot away and the game was gone.

The Sharks now face off against old adversaries the USA for seventh position after they lost to Spain 8-7. A win there will see Australia record their best finish at the Olympics since Barcelona in 1992.

Aussie Sharks

Joel Dennerley, Richie Campbell, Tim Cleland, Johnno Cotterill, Aaron Younger, Jamie Beadsworth, Aidan Roach, Sam McGregor, Thomas Whalan, Gavin Woods, Rhys Howden, Billy Miller, James Clark

Result: Australia 10 lost to Hungary 11

Qtrs: 2-4, 4-2, 0-1, 3-3

X man for: 3 from 5

X man against: Hungary scored 7 from 14 and 1 from 1 penalty

AUS Scorers: Sam McGregor 2, Thomas Whalan 2, Billy Miller 2, Rhys Howden, Tim Cleland, Aaron Younger

Jamie Beadsworth celebrates a goal as the Sharks' edged towards a near upset over Serbia (Grant Treeby Images)

Sharks pipped by Serbia

The Aussie Sharks men’s water polo team has fallen agonisingly close in pulling off one of the greatest upsets in water polo history, going down to Serbia 11-8 in the quarterfinals of the London Olympics.

The Sharks led for all of the second and third terms as they produced their greatest performance of the Games to unnerve the red hot gold medal favourites and keep alive their dream of a first ever medal for the men’s team.

But Serbia refused to lie down and scored seven second half goals, while restricting the Aussie Sharks to a solitary strike.

Jamie Beadsworth was again outstanding, bamboozling the Serbian defence to provide his teammates with the time and space to execute their shots, while Joel Dennerley proved sturdy in the cage as he did his best to maintain what was at times a three goal margin.

The Sharks now find themselves in a battle for positions five to eight, a reward that seems unjust considering their spirited effort.

Australia’s best finish at an Olympics is a fifth at 1984 Games in Los Angeles, and while they still have a chance to reach that, a shot at a medal remains painfully elusive.

“It’s devastating,” four-time Olympian Gavin Woods said. “We were leading for three quarters and to have it slip away in the last quarter is obviously a bit heartbreaking.

“We were probably trying to protect the lead a bit and probably went into our shells. The guys played well and put a lot of heart into it and probably deserved a better result from the game.”

Coach John Fox gave credit to the guys for their gutsy effort, particularly Dennerley who stood tall all game, but dropped a bombshell in the post-game interviews saying the referees had given Dennerley an edict at three quarter time to stop shouting at his team.

The ruling was unprecedented in major tournament play prior to London and Fox was at a loss to explain it.

“I’m a little bit miffed as to, I can’t see the rule written anywhere, that the goalkeeper’s not allowed to talk,” Fox said.

“At three quarter time he was told he had to be quiet. I mean this is a game of communication and I encourage communication. Where I see a rule that says my goalkeeper has to be quiet we’ll tell him to shut up...he was told that he had to quieten down and it’s just a very strange situation.

“Maybe that was playing in his head in the last quarter.” 

Australia was superb in the opening term recovering from an early two goal deficit to net three consecutive goals in a display of great courage and pin point accuracy.

Thomas Whalan bagged the first for the Sharks through a triple baulk and a sensational cross cage strike into the top left hand corner.

Beadsworth, who along with Gavin Woods was dynamic at centre forward, netted the second, with Rhys Howden unleashing a customary outside shot to give Australia a 3-2 lead.

The Sharks continued their surge in the second period with Australia scoring four goals to two.

Tim Cleland, who again dominated at centre back, scored the Sharks fourth goal off a neat Johnno Cotterill assist, before Beadsworth netted his second to mount the pressure on Serbia and rattle their star-studded line up

The European’s attack was in disarray as the Sharks outside pressure caused the Serbians to spray their shots and hand Australia a plethora of counter-attacking chances.

Newcastle’s Richie Campbell was one to capitalise as he bagged a double in the space of two minutes with two spectacular long range strikes to extend Australia’s advantage and keep alive their medal hopes

Serbia came out determined in the second half and immediately reduced the 7-4 lead with a goal to Vanja Udovicic, before Billy Miller scored his eighth of the tournament – celebrating in his trademark fist pumping action – to restore the balance.

Unfortunately for the Sharks, that proved to be their final goal of the game as Australia’s lead slowly evaporated. Professional tactics used by the Serbians and a lack of reward for their superior driving cost the Sharks as Serbia went on to extend their dominance.

Australia kept fighting to produce what they thought would be key extra man opportunities, but poor refereeing, a taper in defence and an improved conversion rate saw Serbia convert six consecutive goals to thwart the Aussie challenge and progress to the semi-finals.

The Sharks will now have to settle for a clash against the loser of Italy versus Hungary, as they turn their attention to recording their equal best ever finish at the Games.

Aussie Sharks

Joel Dennerley, Richie Campbell, Tim Cleland, Johnno Cotterill, Aaron Younger, Jamie Beadsworth, Aidan Roach, Sam McGregor, Thomas Whalan, Gavin Woods, Rhys Howden, Billy Miller, James Clark

Result: Australia 8 lost to Serbia 11

Qtrs: 3-2, 4-2, 1-2, 0-5

X man for: 3 from 5

X man against: Serbia scored 2 from 4

AUS Scorers: Richie Campbell 2, Jamie Beadsworth 2, Rhys Howden, Thomas Whalan, Billy Miller, Tim Cleland