14&U and 18&U Australian Youth Water Polo Champions crowned in Perth

After more than 330 games across four venues, the 14&U and 18&U champions have been crowned after an action packed finals day at the 2025 Australian Youth Water Polo Championships.

To watch the replays via KommunityTV - click here

14&U BOYS GOLD | SYDNEY UNI BLUE 8 d MANTAS 7

The first final of the day was the 14&U Boys, where Sydney Uni Lions Blue matched up against ‘state of origin’ rivals the Mantas.It was an exciting match, the teams were hard to separate, going goal for goal from the outset. 

It was not until the final stages of the fourth quarter that Sydney Uni Lions’ Edison Whalan was able to find the back of the net to secure gold for his team with a 8-7 win.  

Speaking after the game Edison was excited to have been able to play a role in getting his side over the line. 

“Even before the game, I was like, imagine if I got the winning goal,” Edison said. 

“That was a crazy final from everyone here…everyone played a role and I'm just really proud that we got there. 

“They (Mantas) played an amazing game, they kept up with us, and let's hope that level of competition continues in the future.”

14&U GIRLS GOLD | ALL HALLOWS 11 d SYDNEY UNI LIONS BLUE 6

The 14&U Girls Gold final was up next and it was All Hallows (AHS) up against Sydney Uni Lions Blue.  

All Hallows made their mark on the game early, scoring four goals in the first quarter to set up a lead that they maintained until the final whistle. 

Speaking after the game, AHS player Claudia McMahon said she is just so proud of how the team performed. 

“It was a tough game, but I think all the girls knew what we had to do and we got the job done in the end,” Claudia said. 

“We had a lot of superstitions before the game,” Claudia joked.

“But we just did what we normally do… we played our game and it worked.”

18&U GIRLS GOLD | POLO BEARS 9 d UTS BALMAIN TIGERS 8

After falling agonisingly short at last year’s AYWPC, the Polo Bears had only one colour on in their sights this afternoon in Perth - gold. 

A full four quarter effort against interstate rivals the UTS Balmain Tigers saw the Polo Bears clinch their first 18&U Girls AYWPC title with a 9-8 victory.

For Polo Bear player Bless Daly, this afternoon's win is something her and the team have been working towards for quite some time. 

“It was a pretty intense match,” Bless said. “I think just keeping calm helped us a lot, especially with not having many subs, but we worked through it. 

“I think last year was a bit upsetting, but it's cool to win our first one. 

“The week's been pretty hectic. A few of our players got injured… but we definitely worked our way through it, and, it's just great to get the cherry on top at the end.”

18&U BOYS GOLD |  UQ BARRAS 14 d UNSW WESTS 8

The UQ Barras came out hard and fast from the very first whistle against the UNSW Wests in the 18&U Boys final.

In the first quarter, the Barras scored four unanswered goals, setting up the momentum they needed to carry them through the game.

Despite UNSW Wests fighting back and challenging at times, the UQ Barras unit proved too strong, claiming a 14-9 win.

UQ Barras player Patrick Duggan said he was extremely proud of the team, and today’s title was a testament to their hard work and dedication. 

“That was awesome," Patrick said. 

“We've been gearing up for like two years for this game and it is so good that we won. 

“We just wanted to go out there and show that we were the best team, and at the end of the day we did.”

Today’s 14&U and 18&U finals bring to a close the first week of competition at the 2025 Australian Youth Water Polo Championships.

For full results from today’s finals - click here

12&U and 16&U teams from across the country have started to arrive in Perth ahead of week two of the competition, which gets underway on Sunday 20 April through until Thursday 24 April. 

For the week two (12&U and 16&U draw) - click here