On the penultimate day of the first week of the 2026 Australian Youth Water Polo Championships, teams laid it all on the line in order to book their spots in tomorrow’s medal matches.
14&U and 18&U teams have been battling it out in pools across Brisbane, with action being streamed on KommunityTV – watch the replays here.
14&U Girls Gold
Sydney Uni Blue were the first team of the day to book their spot in the final, after a 6-5 win against cross city rivals UNSW Wests.
SU Blue player Alexa Wilson-Smith said she’s looking forward to tomorrow’s game, and proud of her team for their efforts in today’s match up.
“I’m really ready, it’s going to be great,” Wilson-Smith said.
“Even though we were under pressure, we stayed calm as a team and we had a lot of good team work which was really good.
“We’re absolutely loving our time in Brisbane, it’s amazing,” she said.
They’ll be matching up against SNB Breakers in the final, who defeated Brisbane Girls Grammar 9-4 in today’s semi final.
SNB co-captains Alexa Tsiaousis and Ellie Mimmo were super excited to be through to the gold medal final.
“It was a really tough game and we just had to keep pushing through together,” Tsiaousis said.
“But overall we’re super proud of all the girls’ efforts,” Mimmo said.
“It’s amazing, I didn’t think we would get to the grand final, and it feels super good,” Tsiaousis said.
14&UBoysGold
Drummoyne Devils will match up against Sydney Uni Lions in the gold medal game, after both teams came out on top in today’s semi finals.
The Drummoyne team won 11-5 against trans tasman rivals NZ Storm.
“I thought the game was pretty good… We did well in the extra man, we did well in the attack… The defence was a bit shaky but we did well overall,” said Jack Nigel.
“I thought it was a pretty close game… Intense at some times and it was pretty close but overall both teams played really well,” said Mack Crowe.
A 10-5 win against Mantas put Sydney Uni Lions into the 14&U Boys gold medal match.
“I think we played really well. Yesterday we had one of our best games but this game we passed the ball around and got some good five metres,” said Leo Song.
“Overall the boys did really well moving the ball around. Had a couple goals, missed a couple shots but overall really well,” said Bobby Stenhouse.
“We’re gonna come in strong and really work them and hopefully win (tomorrow),” he said.
18&UGirlsGold
Sydney Uni Lions delivered a commanding 8-4 against UQ Barras to guarantee themselves a medal, and will play for gold tomorrow.
For Kiera Miranova today was extra special, not just celebrating a semi final win but her 18th birthday.
“It was a pretty close game. We really fought hard all the way to the end. In the third quarter that was the most important and we managed to pull away. So it was such a great team effort and I’m really proud of how we went,” Miranova said.
“Looking forward to the final, it’s definitely gonna be a tough game. So we’re gonna need to go into it pretty hard. Just rest up today and go into it really well tomorrow,” she said.
They’ll play against their NSW rivals SNB Breakers in the final, after winning a thrilling penalty shoot out against home side Mermaids.
“It was really hard. I’m not gonna lie. Mermaids are a tough team but I think we kept composure the whole time, we were up and so winning penalties it feels good,” said SNB’s Zara Cooke.
“I’m so excited,” she said.
18&UBoysGold
SNB Breakers delivered a win against UWA Bears, 13-3, to book their spot in tomorrow’s gold medal playoff.
Lachie Davies was crucial in attack for SNB, scoring five goals.
“We started a bit slow, but then our systems started to kick in. We’ve been trying to build a habit of perfecting those one percenters over the tournament and we really saw that come through in the second quarter,” Davies said.
“We’re feeling pretty good, we were able to pull away in the first half, and lucky to be able to let a few of our starters rest. So we’ll be coming into the final firing,” he said.
SNB’s Jett Semmens said his team is proud of the way they’ve been able to play together this week.
“The team is going really well at the moment, our defence is really strong and we’re putting it all together at the right end of the competition,” Semmens said.
They’ll match up against SWPSA (South Africa), who shone through the penalty shoot out to win against Melville in the semi finals.
South African Goalkeeper Dylan Wiggill said: “I got a bit excited at the end when we were making those saves. When I saved that penalty at the end it really made me feel amazing and I’m really glad I could do that for my team.”
“For the final, I think it’s gonna be really exciting. This pool is such an amazing arena, I’ve never played in an arena like this before so I think if it’s really busy it’s gonna be a really cool experience,” he said.
For all the results from day three of the 2026 Australian Youth Water Polo Championships, click here.
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