24.01.2013

Click here for the final standings and results

New South Wales Blues have claimed the 2013 20 & Under Men's National Championship after defeating Western Australia 9-8 in a blockbuster gold medal final at Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre

After a tight opening half, Western Australia shot to the lead in the third quarter courtesy of a 2-0 period. The Blues bounced back in the fourth equalising at 8-8 with three minutes remaining, before co-captain Nathan Power rocketed home the winner with 2:26 left on the clock.

Defence was the key as New South Wales Blues restricted Western Australia’s tournament leading goal scorer Luke Pavillard (25) to no goals.

Matt Hannan led the charge for New South Wales with four goals, while Gordon Marshall pitched in with two. Luca Altieri and Jayden Smith both bagged multiples for Western Australia, with player of the series George Ford, Jordan Kremers-Taylor and Nicholas Hughes all finding the back of the net.

Goalkeeper of the tournament Anthony Hrysanthos - who had another stellar game in the cage - said it was a fantastic feeling to win another championship and credited his teammates for helping him play to his best.

"It's good to get the win especially given our loss to Western Australia earlier in the week," Hrysanthos said.

"This group has never lost a 20's championship game over the last three years so it was great to keep the streak going.

"My performance was good and it is an honour to play for New South Wales and in front of such a great defence which makes my job a lot easier."

In the bronze medal game Victoria outscored Queensland 12-5. The Victorians led 7-2 at half time courtesy of a 5-2 second term, before finishing off the game 3-1 and 2-2.

Lloyd Tarrant, Lachlan Edwards and Josh Barrington all netted hat-tricks for Victoria, with William Armstrong also bagging three for Queensland.

Results Men: Gold Medal: New South Wales Blues 9 Matthew Hannan 4, Gordon Marshall, Nicholas Brooks, Nathan Power, Blake Buckley) bt Western Australia 8 (Luca Altieri 3, Jayden Smith 2, Jordan Kremers-Taylor, Nicholas Hughes, George Ford). Bronze Medal: Victoria 12 (Lloyd Tarrant 3, Lachlan Edwards 3, Joshua Barrington 3, Matthew Perrot) bt Queensland (William Armstrong 3, Zac Hudson, Tyler Sinclair)

Click here for men's results and ladders

Women: NSW girls make it back to back

The New South Wales Blues made it a winning double for their state after defeating the previously undefeated Queensland 8-3 in the women's gold medal final of the 20 & Under National State Championships.

The Blues came out firing leading 3-0 at the first break with Pascalle Casey, Morgan Baxter and Maddi Schmid all scoring. The home team built on their advantage in the next two quarters taking their lead to 5-1, before closing out the game with a 2-2 final term.

Player of the series Schmid and Casey ended the game with three and two goals each, while tournament leading goal scorer Emily Benson (23) led a solo charge for Queensland netting all three of her team's goals including two in the last quarter.

New South Wales Blues coach Danielle Bower ecstatic with the victory and praised the girls for producing a great team effort when it mattered the most.

"I think it was a great team effort by the girls with all of them playing their part," Bower said. “We came out full of intensity and we were able to hold that intensity from start to finish and that got it for us.

"It is great to go back to back. We had quite a few new girls come into the squad this year in a bit of a re-building phase so you can't beat going back to back."

Western Australia claimed the bronze medal after defeating South Australia 7-4. Western Australia jumped to a quick 5-1 lead and never looked back as goalkeeper of the series Lilian Hedges held strong in the cage and Cathryn Earl and Madeleine Quinn both scored doubles. Chelsea Allen also netted two for South Australia.

Results Women: Gold Medal: New South Wales 8 (Maddi Schmid 3, Pascalle Casey, Jessica Brooks, Fiona Walsh, Morgan Baxter) bt Queensland (Emily Benson 3). Bronze Medal: Western Australia 7 (Madeleine Quinn 2, Cathryn Earl 2, Kate Abbey-Wardale, Kassia Ralston, Mercedes Ralph) bt South Australia 4 (Chelsea Allen 2, Belinda Symons, Lucinda Swan)

Click here for women's results and ladders

Day 5: QLD & NSW girls to fight for gold

Queensland and New South Wales Blues will square off in the women's final after both teams advanced comfortably over South Australia and Western Australia on day five of the 20 & Under National State Championships.

Queensland, who are looking to secure their second title in three years, were dynamic from opening whistle as they opened up a four goal advantage over South Australia.

South Australia bounced back in the second taking the term 3-1, only for Queensland to power home another four goals in the second half.

Tiana Sogaard-Andersen and Bronte Colenso ended the game with three goals, while Chloe Barr converted two for South Australia.

Queensland coach Fabio Pavanello said he was happy with the 9-3 result and believed the girls had progressed nicely towards the showdown against New South Wales Blues.

"It is a good result for the girls and they have been improving all week," Pavanello said. "They are looking forward to taking on the tournament favourites and are ready to give their best."

New South Wales Blues advanced to the gold medal match after they fought back from two goals down against Western Australia to prevail 9-5.

Western Australia got off to a flyer leading 3-1 at half time courtesy of goals to Mercedes Ralph, Kassia Ralston and Jessica Zimmerman.

The Blues then seized the advantage with a 3-0 third term - including a double to captain Morgan Baxter. That changed the momentum as the Blues went on to score another five goals, with Shannan Martin netting her second for the game.

In the other match, New South Wales Waratahs won the battle for fifth and sixth defeating Victoria 15-7. The game was even at half time with the Waratahs leading 7-6, only for the home team to net eight goals to one in the final two terms.

Claire Negus powered home a hat-trick, while Tori Morrissey, Emma Lewis, Rebecca Curtis and Ellen Hahn all scored doubles.

Results Women:  NSW Waratahs 15 bt Victoria 7, Queensland 9 bt South Australia 3, NSW Blues 9 bt Western Australia 5.

Click here for women's results and ladders

Men: WA and NSW progress to final

It will be a Western Australia versus New South Wales Blues gold medal match after both teams proved too strong for their semi-final rivals. Western Australia was the first team to advance after defeating Queensland 12-3.

The game was close early on with Queensland trailing 5-3 at half time, before Western Australia turned on the afterburners netting eight goals to nil in the second half.

Jayden Smith, George Ford, Nicholas Hughes, Luke Pavillard and Thomas Sangster all scored two for Western Australia, with William Armstrong netting a double for Queensland.

Western Australian coach Paul Oberman was happy with the result and credited the boys for sticking to the game plan.

"Semi finals are always difficult games and we persevered with a game plan we thought would win. Queensland were leading 3-2 and finally we clicked remembered the game plan and suffocated them," Oberman said.

"I am proud of what the boys have achieved and tomorrow is another journey we will take together. They all look out for each and work well as a unit."

In the other semi-final, New South Wales Blues overcame the absence of two key players to defeat Victoria 9-6.

A cut lip to Reed Cotterill and illness to Ciaran Wolohan had threatened to derail New South Wales' campaign, but a 3-0 opening quarter soon expelled any doubts. Nathan Power, Paul Sindone and Gordon Marshall all converted as the Blues looked to get on the front foot.

To their credit Victoria fought back producing 4-4, 1-1 and 1-1 quarters with Matt Perrot and Daniel Egan both scoring doubles, but it wasn't enough as New South Wales held on for the victory.

Sindone ended the game with goals with Nick Brooks also pitching in with a double.

Other matches saw New South Wales Waratahs defeat ACT 10-9 for positions fifth and sixth.

Results Men: Western Australia 12 bt Queensland 3, NSW Blues 9 bt Victoria 6, NSW Waratahs 10 bt ACT 9

Click here for men's results and ladders

The semi-finalists are decided! Who will go all the way? (pic Anthony Pearse/Pearse Photography)

Day 4: QLD and WA finish on top

Western Australia has claimed top seeding for the semi-finals of the 20 & Under National State Championships after New South Wales Blues outclassed the previously undefeated Victoria 14-1 in the final game of day four.

New South Wales' clinical display - with Matt Skinner four goals and Gordon Marshall and Nathan Power three each - elevated them to second on the table with Victoria in third and Queensland in fourth.

The Blues and Victoria will again lock horns in semi-final two, with Western Australia and Queensland squaring off in the other game.

Queensland booked their place in the final four courtesy of a nail biting 11-10 victory over the New South Wales Waratahs.

The Queenslanders led at every break before the Waratahs powered home three straight goals at the start of the fourth to go ahead 10-9.

Nick Taylor, Mitchell Holden and Samuel Baraket all netted during that period, only for Callum Smith to equalise and Harry Morris to score with 1:08 remaining to hand Queensland the win.

Other results saw New Zealand defeat South Australian 12-9 Victoria edge past Queensland 11-7.

In the women, Queensland held off a free spirited New South Wales Waratahs 7-6 to wrap up top spot. Queensland threatened early taking the first quarter 3-1, before the next two quarters were split one apiece.

The Queenslanders bounded away early in the fourth to lead 7-4 with three goal hero Bronte Colenso and Emily Benson both scoring, only for the Waratahs to fight back netting the final two goals.

The last came within the final 40 seconds of the game but an equaliser was out of their reach as Queensland eventually held on. Bronte Halligan netted three goals for the Waratahs – included two in the final term – while Erin Moody also converted in the closing minutes.

Other results saw New Zealand defeat South Australia 12-8 and New South Wales Blues overpower Victoria 17-1. Queensland now plays South Australia in the first semi-final, with New South Wales Blues squaring off against Western Australia in the other.

Results Women: New Zealand 12 bt South Australia 8, NSW Blues 17 bt Victoria 1, Queensland 7 bt NSW Waratahs 6. Semi-finals: Queensland v South Australia, New South Wales Blues v Western Australia.

Results Men: Victoria 11 bt Queensland 7, NSW Waratahs 9 bt South Australia 6, Western Australia 9 bt New Zealand 6, NSW Blues 20 bt ACT 7, Queensland 11 bt NSW Waratahs 10, New Zealand 12 bt South Australia 9, Western Australia 17 bt ACT 3, NSW Blues 14 bt Victoria 1. Semi-finals: Western Australia v Queensland, New South Wales Blues v Victoria.

Click here for men's results and ladders

Click here for women's results and ladders

The action was tight and tough on day three (pic Anthony Pearse/Pearse Photography)

Day 3: Queensland, Victoria and Western Australia still undefeated

The Queensland junior women have remained undefeated after posting an impressive 8-7 victory over home town favourites New South Wales Blues on day three of the 20 & Under National State Championships.

Inspired by a three goal haul from leading goal scorer Emily Benson (19), Queensland fought back from a 6-7 final quarter deficit to claim victory.

Both teams exchanged goals early playing out 2-2 and 2-1 quarters, only for New South Wales Blues to take control with a 4-2 third term. Matil Connor led the scoring with three goals in that period.

It was to no avail as Benson netted home at 7:16 before Ainsley Masek sealed the contest with a strike at 5:29 in the last. In their evening game, Queensland outplayed Victoria 18-4.

South Australia secured their first victory of the tournament with a 14-3 triumph over Victoria, before backing up with a tense 9-8 win over New South Wales Waratahs. The South Australians led comfortably at every break only for the New South Wales Waratahs to close within one with 1:13 remaining.

Other games saw Western Australia defeat New South Wales Waratahs 11-7, before edging out New Zealand 10-9 in a thriller. Cathryn Earl netted three early goals including two in the second term, before Olivia Mackell, Jessica Zimmerman and Coraleigh Abrams closed out the game with a goal each.

In the men’s games, the ACT again featured in a nail biting finish after they clawed their way back from 8-3 down at half time against New Zealand.

The Kiwis took the first two quarters 3-1 and 5-2 before the ACT stormed home with three goals to Nicholas Brbot and singles to Tim Reeves and Nathan Sinclair. A single strike to five goal hero Braeden Drennan with 5.31 remaining proved the difference as New Zealand held on for the win.

Other games saw New South Wales Blues rocket home 17 goals against Queensland as leading goal scorer Nathan Power increased his tournament tally to 15.

Victoria posted their fourth win with a 14-6 result over South Australia with William Lovelock and Dan Egan each bagging hat-tricks, while Western Australia overcame a fiery New South Wales Waratahs 19-9.

Results Men: Victoria 14 bt South Australia 6, New Zealand 9 bt ACT 8, NSW Blues 17 bt Queensland 9, Western Australia 19 bt NSW Waratahs 9.

Results Women: Western Australia 11 bt NSW Waratahs 7, South Australia 14 bt Victoria 3, Queensland 8 bt NSW Blues 7, Western Australia 10 bt New Zealand 9, South Australia 9 bt NSW Waratahs 8, Queensland 18 bt Victoria 4.

Click here for men's results and ladders

Click here for women's results and ladders

Western Australia was involved in two tight games on day two (pic Anthony Pearse/Pearse Photography)

Day 2: Cliffhangers the order of the day

The Western Australian and Victorian men have remained undefeated after playing out a seven all draw on day two of the 20 & Under National State Championships.

Both teams began the day with 7-6 and 12-3 victories over New South Wales Blues and New Zealand, before turning up the heat in the afternoon. Western Australia’s 7-6 win over the New South Wales Blues was decided in the very last second as Jordan Kremers-Taylor landed a spectacular lob to secure the win.

Like their earlier game, Western Australia began slowly against Victoria trailing 1-2 at the first break, before fighting back with a 3-2 second term.

Victoria then jumped out to a 6-4 lead at three-quarter time courtesy of a two goal to nil period. Lachlan Edwards and Joshua Barrington each netted in the first minute of the quarter. It wasn't enough, however, as Western Australia stormed home with a 3-1 final term. George Ford ended the game with three goals for Western Australia.

The draw leaves both teams on 11 points with New South Wales Blues in third on 10 after they defeated South Australia 20-2 - with Ciaran Wolohan netting six goals. Other matches saw Queensland hold out South Australia 13-11 after leading 6-3 early on, before securing an 11-6 win over ACT. 

New South Wales Waratahs posted their first victory - holding on after the ACT bagged nine goals to five in the second half. They then went down to New Zealand 11-12 in the final game after fighting back from 11-6 down at three-quarter time.

The women's action also provided some up and down contests. Queensland twice came from behind against Western Australia to win 8-6.

Western Australia led 3-2 and 4-3 at the first two intervals, before Queensland netted five goals to two in the second half - including 3-0 in the third term - to seal the contest. Bronte Colenso scored three goals, while Emily Benson and Paris Bromfield each bagged two.

It was a similar scenario between New South Wales Waratahs and Victoria, with the Waratahs taking the first and third terms 4-2 and 5-1, and Victoria fighting back to claim the second and fourth 1-0 and 4-2.

Laura Robinson (3), Bronte Halligan (2) and Emma Lewis (2) led the scoring for the Waratahs with seven goals, while Medeleine Steere powered home four for Victoria.

In other games New South Wales Blues defeated New South Wales Waratahs and New Zealand 12-4 and 19-6, while Queensland accounted for the Kiwis 9-4 and Western Australia defeated South Australia 14-8.

Results Women: NSW Blues 12 bt NSW Waratahs 4, Queensland 9 bt New Zealand 4, Western Australia 14 bt South Australia 8, NSW Waratahs 11 bt Victoria 8, NSW Blues 19 bt New Zealand 6, Queensland 8 bt Western Australia 6.

Results Men: Victoria 12 bt New Zealand 3, Western Australia 7 bt NSW Blues 6, Queensland 13 bt South Australia 11, NSW Waratahs 11 bt ACT 10, Western Australia 7 drew Victoria 7, NSW Blues 20 bt South Australia 2, Queensland 11 bt ACT 6, New Zealand 12 bt NSW Waratahs 11.

Click here for women's results and ladders

Click here for men's results and ladders

Western Australia and New South Wales Blues in action (pic Anthony Pearse/Pearse Photography)

Day 1: QLD and ACT prevail in nail biters

The ACT have overcome an injury to a key player and a one goal deficit in the final quarter to post an enthralling 10-9 victory over South Australia in the final game of Day 1 of the 20 & Under National State Championships

Missing 2012 FINA World Youth Championship representative Justin Trabinger due to a poke in the eye suffered in game one, the ACT rallied from 2-4 down at the first break to equalise 6-6 at half time and 8-8 at three-quarter time.

South Australia kicked again in last jumping out to a 9-8 lead before Keegan Wicken slotted home two consecutive goals to hand ACT the win.

Tim Reeves led the scoring for the ACT with four powerful goals, with Wicken's cameo and a two goal haul from Nicholas Brbot sealing the result. Dan Hall was the star for South Australia with four goals, while Will Dayman slotted home a hat trick.

Western Australia signalled their title ambitions with convincing 19-4 and 19-5 victories over South Australia and Queensland with left-arm rocket Luke Pavillard powering home nine for the day.

New South Wales Blues and Victoria were also convincing each posting two victories, with New Zealand getting on the board courtesy of a tight 11-9 win over Queensland.

In the marquee women's game, Queensland held out the fast finishing South Australia to claim an 11-10 victory.

Queensland jumped out of the blocks taking a 7-3 halftime lead - including a five goal to two second quarter. South Australia mounted a mini comeback in the third scoring three goals to two to make it 9-6 at the last break.

The South Australians then turned on the afterburners scoring three goals to one to level at 10 apiece. Chelsea Allen netted two of her four goals, while Chloe Barr converted a penalty at 4:10. It was not enough however, as four goal hero Emily Benson slotted home with 1:58 left on the clock to seal the victory. 

Benson (4) and Bronte Colenso (3) were the standouts for Queensland combining for seven of their team's 11 goals, while Allen (4), Belinda Symons (3) and Barr (2) were equally dominant teaming up for nine goals.

Other games saw hot favourites New South Wales Blues defeat the highly touted Western Australia 8-2, before overrunning a gallant South Australia 15-8.

New Zealand enjoyed a great start to the tournament proving too strong for Victoria 13-6 and NSW Waratahs 10-7, while Western Australia bounced back with a 9-3 win over the Victorians.

Results Women: New Zealand 13 bt Victoria 6, NSW Blues 8 bt Western Australia 2, Queensland 11 bt South Australia 10, New Zealand 10 bt NSW Waratahs 7, Western Australia 9 bt Victoria 3, NSW Blues 15 bt SA 8.

Results Men: NSW Blues 18 bt NSW Waratahs 3, New Zealand 11 bt Queensland 9, Western Australia 19 bt South Australia 4, Victoria 11 bt ACT 9, NSW Blues 14 bt New Zealand 4, Western Australia 19 bt Queensland 5, Victoria 8 bt NSW Waratahs 3, ACT 10 bt South Australia 9.

Click here for women's results and ladders

Click here for men's results and ladders

Preview: Who will triumph?

The 20 & under national water polo championships begin in Sydney today as some of the best young players from around the country battle it out for interstate supremacy.

A host of players from the 2012 FINA World Youth Water Polo Championships will be on show as they look to continue on from their first foray into the national setup.

The championships come at a good time for players, with selection in National Water Polo League teams and further national squads on the cards.

New South Wales has a formidable record in both the men's and women's competition and will again be warm favourites to take out the double.

They have entered two teams in the championships - the Blues and the Waratahs - with the Blues the defending champions in both competitions.

They will receive strong opposition from the Queensland and Western Australian squads who also boast a plethora of up and coming champions.

Some of the names to look out for include Nathan Power (NSW), George Ford (WA), Gordon Marshall (NSW) and Daniel Egan (Vic) - who all toured Japan with the Aussie Sharks squad last November - and Chloe Barr (SA), Bronte Colenso (Qld), Maddi Schmid (NSW), Emily Benson (Qld) and Cathryn Earl (WA) - who have either represented the Aussie Barbarians at the Water Polo Pan Pacs or the Australian B team at the FINA World League Preliminaries in Japan.

The week-long event will be held at the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre at Homebush and will house 15 different teams from five states including a men's and women's team from New Zealand.

Round robin games run through from Tuesday January 22 until Friday January 25 with the finals to be held on Sunday January 27.

Men's Teams: ACT, NSW Blues, NSW Waratahs, New Zealand, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria, Western Australia

Women's Teams: NSW Blues, NSW Waratahs, New Zealand, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria, Western Australia

PROGRAM

Click here to download the Program (.pdf format)

DRAW

Click here to access the draw

Junior Men draw

Junior Women draw

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State Associations are invited to submit entries for the 2013 20 & Under National Championships to be held in Sydney 22-27 January 2013.

ELIGIBILITY
Athletes must be born in 1993 or later. Players entering the draft must comply with the born 1993 or later criteria.

VENUE
Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre
Olympic Boulevard
Sydney Olympic Park NSW 2127
Phone: 02 9752 3666
Email: aquaticcentre@sopa.nsw.gov.au

DATES
The dates for these Championships are 22 to 27 January 2013 inclusive.

CLOSING DATE FOR ENTRIES
Entries are now open and will close with WPAL on Tuesday 6 November 2012.
Entries must be submitted on the competition Entry Form.
The Entry Fee is $1100 per team (includes GST) which will be invoice by WPAL. No pool entry fee is payable.

FORMS
Note that all forms can be used electronically, which is the preferred method of receiving forms and information.
Email address - peter.hobday@waterpoloaustralia.com.au

2013 20 & Under Entry Form

2013 20 & Under Team Nomination Form

2013 20 & Under Athlete Draft Form

2013 20 & Under Photo Order Form

REFEREES
A panel of Referees for these Championships will be appointed by Water Polo Australia's Referees Commission. Costs associated with the referees including air travel, accommodation, ground transport and an allowance will be charged to State Associations based on the teams entered on an equal share basis. These costs will be advised as soon as possible. State Associations need not take any action relating to referees.

TEAMS
Teams may list a maximum of thirteen (13) players per team.
Please note that the names of players (along with their date of birth and SportingPulse National ID numbers) in cap number order are required to be submitted to WPAL by Tuesday 1 January 2013. Please note that all players must be registered with their State Association and comply with the Date of Birth criterion.

OFFICIALS
Coaches and Managers and any other official associated with the team who wish to enter the pool deck area must be a registered Member of WPAL through their State Association, and their SportingPulse National ID number must be included on the Team Nomination form.

STATE TEAM ENTRIES
State Associations are invited to enter Junior Men's and Junior Women's teams.

ATHLETE DRAFT
The ‘Athlete Draft’ will be conducted in accordance with the procedure detailed in the By-Laws of Water Polo Australian and set out below:

(1) Member Bodies may make formal representation to the Operations Manager of WPAL 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 Friday 21 December 2012.

(2) Member Bodies must advise of names of players not required for inclusion in their team, no later than Tuesday 1 January 2013.

(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;

(b) The second preference to the next lowest ranking state etc;

(c) In the event of a Member Body not having taken part in the National Championship, that Member will be deemed to have the third lowest ranking;

(d) The athlete’s Member Body must retain the first right of refusal for the athlete’s services;

(e) Within the said 30 days period prior to commencement of the National Championships, Members may make application to the Board of WPAL for the release of drafted players to return to their home Member Body.  The Board should deal with the request with absolute discretion;

(f) 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.

(g) Financial arrangements will be a matter of private negotiation between the drafted player and the Member Body.

It should be noted that the ’Final Standings’ from the National Championships (Junior Men & Junior Women – Born 1992 or Later) held Adelaide, SA, January 2012 were as follows:

JUNIOR MEN	JUNIOR WOMEN
1. NSW Blues	1. NSW Blues
2. Western Australia	2. Queensland
3. Victoria	3. Western Australia
4. Queensland	4. NSW Waratahs
5. NSW Waratahs	5. South Australia
6. South Australia	6. Victoria

PROGRAM
The program and format of the championship will be a Round Robin, with Playoffs, Preliminary Finals and Grand Finals. The Draw will be advised after entries close.

PRE-EVENT MEETINGS
Meetings for the Coaches and Managers, and Referees will be held prior to the start of the event. Your cooperation is sought in having a representative at these meetings. The Coaches & Managers meeting will be held on Monday 21 January 2013 at 7.00pm and the Referees Meeting will follow at 7.45pm, at SOPAC.

PRESENTATIONS
Opening and Closing Ceremonies will be conducted during the Championships and all teams are asked to attend in full uniform. Presentations will be made for Player of the Series, Goalkeeper of the Series and Highest Goal Scorer and a Team of the Tournament will be made for both Junior Men and Junior Women.

COMPETITION RULES
Rules under which the Championships are to be conducted will be advised following the close of entries.

CODE OF CONDUCT
The Championships will be conducted under the Constitution and By-Laws of Water Polo Australia. 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 Water Polo Australia Member Protection Policy which is binding on ALL members of WPAL, certain commitments must be met by Managers, Coaches and Referees who have contact with children under the age of eighteen years. Please refer to the WPAL Member Protection Policy to ensure all compliance requirements are met. Your State Association Office has a copy of the Member Protection Policy, or it is available from the WPAL Web Site.

DRUG POLICY
Water Polo Australia 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. WPAL has published an anti-doping policy on its web site, which will be adhered to for this event.

MEDIA STATEMENTS
States and teams shall be permitted to promote the event and or their team within their own state (subject to WPAL approval). However, no competitor, team manager, official or spokesperson for a state or team shall make media statements that could bring the WPAL, 2013 National Championships Junior Men and Junior Women 20 Years and Under, its sponsor, or officials into controversy. Such statements shall be deemed to be a breach of WPAL discipline and may be dealt with accordingly.

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

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

QUERIES
Should you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact me.

Peter Hobday
Operations Manager
WPAL
PO Box 60
Lindisfarne TAS 7015
0408 393 311
peter.hobday@waterpoloaustralia.com.au