After finishing second in their group stages, the Australian women's water polo team are ready to take on the ROC in the quarterfinals of the Tokyo Olympic Games.
The Aussie Stingers will head into the match with a strong record against the ROC at the Olympic Games, having won every match when the teams have previously met at the Sydney 2000, London 2012 and Rio 2016 Olympics.
The last time the two sides met was at the FINA World Championships in July 2019, where Australia managed to get a two point win over the ROC in the quarterfinals.
But the Tokyo Olympic Games has seen plenty of upsets. The ROC finished third in their group stage after two wins, one draw and one loss in the preliminary rounds.
The Aussie Stingers on the other side of the table managed to deliver three wins and had one loss to Spain.
Dual Olympian Hannah Buckling said while the ROC is a team they have met many times before and have a good record against, it’s a team they know they’ll need to bring their very best against.
“At the quarter finals everything resets, it is a clean slate and now every game is do or die,” said Buckling.
“I think ROC is one of those teams you have to be on your A-game otherwise they can make you look really silly.
“They are quick, they’re smart, they’re aggressive and they have some really good shooters.
“So we will be looking to shut down their counter attack but also just play our game, playing calm and clean and hopefully that will be enough.”
“At the end of the day it is the Olympics and anything can happen and that is the thing we have to remember, it is anyone's game on any given day so you have to turn up ready to play your best,” she said.
While the Aussie Stingers won’t have their family and friends in the stands, Buckling said the support they have received from home has been nothing short of amazing.
“That has been one of the most incredible things about the Tokyo Olympics… for everyone back home to be able to watch every single game on Channel 7 and 7Plus is amazing.
“I have never had this many friends and family be able to have this access to watch all our games live and also through social media.... being able to link all of that support, it has been overwhelming and a really incredible experience,” she said.
The Aussie Stingers take on the ROC on Tuesday, August 3 at 8:50pm AEST
