WATER POLO: It’s a big weekend of National Water Polo League (NWPL) action with ‘Clash of the Cats’, ‘Battle of the Bridges’ and ‘Beyond Blue Cup’.
It’s the second round of the NWPL for the men’s with the women’s competition kick starting this weekend.
Recently arriving home from a successful international tour, Australia’s Womens Water Polo Team will head home to their respective clubs to feature in this weekend’s line up.
Among those is London 2012 Olympian and Victorian Seals’ player Rowie Webster who’ll be one of the feature players in the Beyond the Blue Cup against the Hunter Hurricanes, which will raise money for the important charity Beyond the Blue.
“I love playing for the Seals. Everyone is really excited about this weekend – it is the first round for the girls and it can always be a bit nervous as you never know what to expect from the other side.
“This weekend is a special one for us with the Beyond the Blue Cup and helping to raise awareness for mental health.
“Mental Health is everywhere in our community, including sport, and I’m so pleased we can help shed light on it,” said Webster.
Webster recently celebrated her 200th international game for Australia while in Rio where the Stingers won gold against world number one USA.
“I was pleasantly surprised to celebrate the 200th game. Whether you wear one Aussie cap or 200 it is always such an honour.
“The trip to Rio was an eye opener and I think it just cemented our goals for 2016 and going for gold. The culture and the atmosphere of Rio was so great to experience as a team.
“To beat the USA in the gold medal game was just phenomenal – we hadn’t beaten them in this quadrennial, it was just a great feeling,” she said.
Four time Olympian Gavin Woods is continuing to make his impact on the sport, now taking on the head coaching role with his beloved Balmain Tigers club.
In one of the top grudge matches of the NWPL, Woods knows the added pressure that comes for the team in the double header the ‘Clash of the Cats’ (against Sydney University Lions) and ‘Battle of the Bridges’ (Drummoyne Devils).
"We have had a long standing rivalry with Sydney Uni with clashes over the years getting pretty heated.
"And with Drummoyne being just across the river, we have developed a real local rivalry since they came into the National League."
"I never thought of getting involved as a coach however the club asked me… it is going to be a challenge for me and gives me the opportunity to stay involved in a sport I am passionate about,” said Woods.
Both games will hold special importance for the water polo community with funds to be raised across the games for one of the Tigers’ much loved Balmain couples Cade and Kaley Wright. The couple who recently welcomed their first child, are facing a new set of challenges with Cade was diagnosed with Follicular Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.
"Cade and Kaley have been in the club for a lifetime - I played with Cade for 15 years and Cade’s dad was manager for 5 years,” said Woods.
Water Polo Australia
