The competition continued to heat up – along with the weather – at the Water Polo NSW Under 14 Girls State Championships at the Dubbo Aquatic Leisure Centre on Wednesday.
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The tournament split into divisions A and B after Monday’s qualifying rounds, with Sydney Uni Lions Blue, Sydney Northern Beaches (SNB) Breakers Blue, Hunter Hurricanes and UNSW Wests Killer Whales Yellow emerging as the teams to beat.
Lions Blue jumped to the top of the ladder after day two with wins over Breakers Blue (9-4) and Tamworth (19-0) while Hunter defeated Breakers White (9-0) and Killer Wales Yellow (4-2).
But on Wednesday it was the strength of the SNB Breakers on show, with Blue (their top team) and White (development side) clashing in the pool.
Teamwork and experience helped Blue gain the ascendancy 9-0, and coach Carla Woolley said she was proud of her side.
“They played really well. I feel like they definitely played as a team today which is our goal for this tournament,” Woolley said.
”We have a couple of, I don’t know if you’d call them standouts, but stronger players. They’re playing really well but as I said it’s all about that team work because that’s what wins games for us.”
She said having two teams in the top division proved the club’s depth.
“There’s a lot of potential for some good water polo players to come from us … so it’s good looking forward.”
The game was tight in the beginning, with Blue only managing a single goal in the opening period.
But halfway through the second quarter their passes began finding players in open water and with some quick counter-attacking they piled on three goals within three minutes.
That included an impressive penalty shot by Kiana Dettmann who fired the ball past Brooke Lancaster.
The tournament is Lancaster’s first in goals and she was impressive for White, getting high out of the water and saving many more goals than she let in.
Blue ran away with the game in the third and fourth quarters to take the win. Andie Kearns starred with five goals, while Magali Ogg bagged a double and Molly Prendergast also got on the board.
“We knew it was going to be a tough game,” SNB Breakers White coach Kate Lewis said.
”Our defence was incredible, to keep them to only eight goals.
“Our attack struggled a little bit under the pressure of the bigger girls, because they are a lot taller and a lot bigger but they kept trying, they never gave up the whole game.”
The Blue side is made up of players born in 2004, while the White team is dominated by girls born in 2005.
“That was very much our aim, getting into the A division even though we knew we weren’t necessarily going to win any games,” White team coach Kate Lewis said.
“We knew that it was just a good experience for the girls to see what the older girls do in the water to them, and then try and replicate it in their own game.
“We all work as a coaching unit … and I think it just goes to show that we are going from strength to strength and we are putting all of our energy into the juniors.”
Pool games will continue on Thursday. The Division B grand final is scheduled for 1.10pm on Friday, followed by the Division A grand final at 2.40pm.
