WATER POLO: Relentless defence and opportunistic offensive plays have seen the Aussie Sharks take a controlled 13-7 victory over Kazakhstan in their second game of the group stage at the FINA World League Intercontinental tournament in Corona del Mar, California.
The Australians set the pace of the game from beginning to end, with a dominant 5-2 first quarter and impressive goal defence by keeper James Clark laying the foundation for victory.
London Olympian Johnno Cotterill was again in the thick of the action to score a hat trick of goals, as did Jarrod Gilchrist, while Cotterill was also instrumental in assisting with a handful of the Sharks scoring efforts.
Inevitably, it was the focus on defence, the importance of which had been stressed by head coach Elvis Fatovic pre game that underscored the victory, however the coach lamented missed opportunities in attack.
“Whilst it was good to get the win, we didn’t execute well enough in attack to create a bigger margin,” Fatovic said.
“We had periods of play with good execution, but we need to be more consistent and continually show improvement.”
Australia had bolted out of the blocks early in the first quarter to see Gilchrist net two goals, while Cotterill, Nathan Power, and young Western Australian George Ford all joined the scorers list, Ford receiving a cross pass on the back of a quick counter attack for the Sharks to lead 5-2 at the first break.
The second term was an arm wrestle between the two sides, both Kazakhstan and Australia only managing one goal each, before the Aussies kicked up a gear in the third period to see Billy Miller score a cracking cross-cage strike before Gilchrist put his third past Kazakhstan’s goalkeeper. Heavy pressure on Kazakhstan’s attacking efforts saw them limited to just two goals, as the Sharks led 10-5 at the final change.
Cotterill notched up his second and third goals during the fourth quarter, while captain Rhys Howden, on the comeback trail following major knee surgery, extended the lead to six goals with his first goal at an international tournament since 2013, assisting the Sharks to close out the game 13-7 victors.
Although a strong result on day two of the competition, Gilchrist was realistic about the Sharks strengths and weaknesses against Kazakhstan.
“We started really well to be leading 3-0, with aggressive defence that created counter attack opportunities,” Gilchrist said.
“A few individual lapses in defence and poor offensive completion allowed Kazakhstan back into the game, however we improved our composure in the second half to put the pressure on.
“The start of the tournament has been positive with two wins and we are looking forward to the next challenge against China.”
Australia's next game is against China at 1230pm (AEST) on Thursday before the quarterfinals on Friday. The medals will be decided on Sunday, Australian time.
Name 13 who played: James Clark (GK), Richard Campbell, George Ford, Johnno Cotterill, Nathan Power, Jarrod Gilchrist, Aidan Roach, Lachlan Edwards, Joel Swift, Tyler Martin, Rhys Howden, Billy Miller, James Stanton-French (GK)
Result: Australia 13 bt Kazakhstan 7
Quarters: 5-2, 1-1, 4-2, 3-2
X Man for: Australia scored 4 from 7 opportunities
X Man against: Kazakhstan scored 5 from 10 opportunities
AUS scorers: J Gilchrist 3, J Cotterill 3, G Ford 2, N Power 2, B Miller 2, Howden
Next Game: Australia will play China at 12.30pm EST on Thursday April 2
WATER POLO AUSTRALIA
