The Aussie Sharks came into the 2011 FINA World Championships looking for a spot on the medal podium. On paper they fell well short but there were many positives to take from their ninth placed finish.

The Sharks were one of, if not the fittest team in Shanghai, they defended well in most games, they showed enormous grit and character to win three games from behind and almost upset heavyweights Serbia and stage two opponents Spain.

Rising talents AJ Roach and Aaron Younger emerged as genuine stars of the future while experienced campaigners showed they will be invaluable moving towards the London Olympics in 2012.

Australian head coach John Fox said he and assistant coaches Paul Oberman and Frank Otto believed there were many positives during the tournament as well as a number of areas to work on over the next 12 months and beyond.

Here is Fox’s analysis of the tournament:

The result:

“A ninth versus tenth playoff doesn’t seem much but this is the first time we’ve won in three attempts. We’ve finished tenth at the last two World Championships and it’s important if we are going to be playing for a medal, we need to win that last game to get a medal so that was a little mental barrier we overcame.”

Positives:

“One area is character, another is fitness. I would not think that any team is fitter than us. The way that we see games out and can come back when we are down is a strength.”

Players:

“The young guys really stepped up here. Aaron Younger has been outstanding and if he carries this form through to the junior World Championships (in Volos, Greece in August and September) he is a marked player internationally. He’s proven himself.

Different games we had different people step up. Billy Miller early in the tournament, AJ Roach in a game, Sam McGrgeor played well against Japan and his leadership’s been fantastic, our centre forward’s have contributed as well. Rhys Howden always plays consistently well and our goalkeepers too.”

Areas for improvement:

“We wont leave any stone unturned to find out how we can put four quarters consistently together. We have work to do as the coaching staff to make sure they are up and right to start the game well.

We have some areas right but starting better is one area we need to work at. We’ll be going to each corner of the world to find out what we can do to improve.”

The future:

“Our squad is far from settled for next year. World University Games are important and I will attend that. We have three or four players there that were right in contention until right up until the final cut (for the World Championships) and then we’ve got all players in Australia from mid in December until mid January and that’s going to be a crucial time for us.

We had a squad of 30 players that played World League preliminaries this year and all those guys are all still in contention for the Olympic Games.

We will review not having a lefthander just like we will review everything. I am not locked into taking a lefthander just for the sake of having a lefthander there, they’ve got to prove their merit in the team but for the same reason I’m not against having a lefthander because I think they can add something to the team as well. We’ll look at it and weigh it up on its merits.”

Australian Water Polo Inc.