2011-12 Annual Report - Australian Water Polo Inc

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WATER POLO AUSTRALIA 2011/12 ANNUAL REPORT Born ‘94 Youth Women’s Report 26 The following 15 players were selected to for the born 1994 European tour and to attend the Olympic Hopes International Tournament as the Australian Born 1994 Youth Team; Goal Keepers Stephanie Calaizis (1994, NSW) Lillian Hedges (1994, WA) Field Players Shannan Martin (1994, NSW) Georgia Farrell (1994, NSW) Tiana Andersen (1995, QLD) Belinda Symons (1994, SA) Montana Perkins (1995, NSW) Fiona Walsh (1995, NSW) Ainsley Masek (1994, QLD) Kassia Ralston (1994, WA) Megan du Toit (1994, QLD) Rebecca Curtis (1994, NSW) Stephanie El Safty (1995, NSW) Jayde Appel (1994, NSW) Pascalle Casey (1995, NSW) Staff Aleks Osadchuk (Coach) Jenny MacGregor (Manager) Nicola Johnson (Referee) the most part very solid in defence and the game was evenly matched up until half time when the score was 3-2 in favour of the USA. In the third period the USA scored four unanswered goals whereas the Australian team missed many potential scoring opportunities. The 1 from 6 in extra man situations reflected the problem the Australian girls had in getting the ball across the goal line In the second game we lost 8-6 to the Netherlands. It was a much stronger performance by the Aussie girls particularly in the second half. The girls struggled early, failing to fire a shot past the strong Dutch keeper. The game was more balanced in the final three periods with Australia scoring six goals to five. Our third game was against Hungary. It was a very strong performance by the Hungarians who outplayed and outscored us. The girls struggled at both ends of the pool going down 20-4. We recorded our first victory in our fourth game defeating the Czech Republic 13-4. The girls started slowly giving a goal lead to the Czech’s before producing some dominant attack to score eight goals to one. The girls piled on the pressure in the last quarter to extend their lead and seal the nine goal win. In our final game of the tournament we recorded a 9-all draw with Canada. We started strongly jumping out to a 5-3 lead at quarter time before the Canadians applied a heavy press to reduce the margin to 7-6 at half time. Both teams converted extra-man opportunities early in the fourth term with the Aussies leading by one with 1 minute 20 seconds left on the clock. However the Canadians gained possession in the final 20 seconds and were able to equalise in extraman. Despite the heartbreak I was pleased with the team’s performance as it was a strong finish to the tour. From the five official games, we won one, drew one and lost three games. This meant we finished fourth with the final standings being the Netherlands, Hungary, USA, Australia, Canada and the Czech Republic. I am looking forward to the latter half of 2012 where we will have a World Championship preparation camp at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) in October followed by the Youth World Championships in Perth in December. Acknowledgements Finally I would like to thank Team Manager, Jenny MacGregor and Referee, Nicola Johnson for their support on the tour. Aleksandr Osadchuk Head Coach B94 Girls Hungary Training The Australian Born 1994 Youth Girls Team started their international tour with a 4 day training camp in Hungary playing training games with national teams from Hungary, USA and Canada. This was good preparation for the upcoming Olympic Hopes International Tournament. Olympic Hopes International Tournament, Dunajvaros, Hungary, 10-25 July, 2012 We were one of 6 teams competing in this tournament along with the USA, the Netherlands, Czech Republic, Canada, and host nation Hungary. The girl’s fell 8-2 to the USA in their first game. The young Australian team was for Photo Credit: Anthony Pearse, Pearse Photography
WATER POLO AUSTRALIA 2011/12 ANNUAL REPORT Born ‘96 Youth Women’s Report New Zealand Pan Pac Tournament At the U16s National Championships in Melbourne in October 2011, I selected a squad of 26 players with the immediate interest of competing at the Pan Pacs in NZ from 29th June to 12th July 2012. This was followed by a 3 game series against the NZ u16s, where 14 of the original 26 players remained to compete in this series. Prior to Pan Pacs, I held mini camps in Sydney and Perth. In Brisbane, I attended Queensland’s Elite Athlete Program (EAP) sessions to keep costs to a minimum. On the 28th June 2012 the squads departed their respective cities and met in Auckland. Once there, the 26 players were divided into 2 equal teams aptly named Aus Green and Aus Gold. Aus Green’s pool was much harder as they had to play North Harbour, the eventual gold medalists and New Zealand’s u18s. By loosing to these two teams it meant that Aus Green could not make the top four. it wasn’t until the last quarter that Aus Gold managed to break away and win by 2. In the playoff for 3rd and 4th Aus Green played NSW Waratahs u18s. They displayed amazing character and ability. NSW u18s raced to a 2 goal lead only to find Aus Green u16s come back and take the lead 4-3. The lead changed a few more times but the game ended in 9-all draw. In extra time the ten hard days and playing much bigger and more physical girls finely took its toll and we lost 11-10. Aus Gold once again played North Harbour, this time for gold or silver. We started well by taking the lead and matching them in every aspect, in fact, our skills were even better so at the final break we were still in it only 5-6 behind. In the last quarter one player destroyed us, Rebecca Parks, 185cm tall, strong, mobile and can throw the ball. She managed 4 goals and the game finished 9-6 for North Harbour. We fare welled 12 of our girls and started our 3 tests against the NZ u16s. We all know the Kiwis lift when they play the Aussies this was no exception. We raced to a 3-goal lead and only allowed the Kiwis to score with 4 seconds on the clock in the first quarter. From there the game deteriorated into a wrestling match with the referees allowing extremely heavy play. Whilst we were never troubled and we won 5-4, we could see what we were in for over the next two days. By the second game, three of our girls came down with the flu and we had two injuries. The girls knew we needed to win the second game, so as not to rely on winning the third to win the series. Once again they lifted and showed just how much pride they had when they put on the green and gold. Again never in trouble but we only won by 1 goal. For the third game, Maddy Steere needed a rest and Lena Mihailovic had a sore elbow so they were rested. Chelsea Allen and Bronte Halligan both with a good dose of flu could only play in short bursts. The rest of the team responded by working even harder and we won the game by 2. I would like to thank all 26 girls for their commitment to the sport, forming a team bond and for the respect shown to Helen, Georgina and myself and for the pride at wearing the Green and Gold. Also, a huge thank-you to all the parents, who have supported the girls, and to those who were able to join us in NZ. This tour would not have run as smoothly as it did if it wasn’t for our Manager, Helen Park. Helen organised flights, accommodation, transport, meals, outings and even visits to the doctors. She was my right hand, invaluable and I thank her very much. I would also like to thank Georgina Kovacs for her help with coaching. It would not have been possible to coach two teams, sometimes playing two games a day without an assistant. Thanks must also go to High Performance Manager, Tom Hill for his help liaising with NZ Water Polo, organising uniforms and ensuring our trip ran smoothly. Jack Lusic Head Coach B96 Girls 27 Meanwhile, Aus Gold won two and drew one, however, this meant that Aus Gold would play North Harbour in the semifinal. Unfortunately, the bigger, stronger and 4 years older North Harbour girls were too powerful and we lost 9-6. Our girls fought well, and with 3 min left it was only 7-6. However, in the bronze medal game, Aus Gold reversed the favour and defeated NZ u18s 6-5. Next came the u18s tournament. I decided to make a few changes within the two teams, this was to ensure the girls got to know each other better. This time Aus Gold won all their games with Aus Green only losing to North Harbour. This meant both teams made the semifinals but would have to play each other. The camaraderie between the girls was simply amazing. Before the game commenced both teams formed one big circle in the middle and gave three cheers as one. The lead changed a few times but Photo Credit: Anthony Pearse, Pearse Photography
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