2022 AUSTRALIAN YOUTH WATER POLO CHAMPIONSHIPS - DAY 3 WRAP

The sun was shining, and kids were smiling, as the 2022 Australian Youth Water Polo Championships reached the halfway point today.

More than 2500 participants showcased some great water polo, with the action taking over 12 pools across Brisbane city.

To watch replays of some of today’s games - visit our streaming partner News Corp Australia [CLICK HERE].

For Tasmanian 16&U Boys, player Leo Thomas, the opportunity to have some of his games live streamed is very exciting.

“Mum and dad always really want to watch me, and because of the livestream they’ll be able to, which is great,” Thomas said.

“It’s been a really fun experience, and good to bond with the team, and getting to know the boys a lot better.

“It’s always good to represent Tasmania because we’re such a small State, and we’re doing pretty well so far.

“We’ve won a couple, and lost a couple, but we’re getting better and better as we go along,” he said.

Making the trip up from Canberra has definitely been worth it for ACT Dolphins 16&U Girls players Jasmine Byrne.

“The Youth Champs is a really good opportunity because in Canberra we don’t get to play different teams because we just play the same teams every week,” Byrne said.

“So it is just a really good way to develop and challenge ourselves. This is my first Youth Championships, I only started playing Water Polo two years ago.

“I really like the dynamic of water polo and you can do what you want, other sports are more structured and with water polo you can go with the flow,” she said.

The 14&U Boys headed to the Valley Pool for the third day of the competition, one that UWA’s Ivan Zorotovic said has been very enjoyable for his team.

“It’s been a good experience - it’s been a while since the last one because of COVID. It’s my first time, and a lot of the boys' first time and we’re having so much fun,” Zorotovic said.

“The water polo here is different, it’s a bit more physical and fast. So it’s been good to get over here and play some different teams.

“It’s been a good bonding experience, and a chance for us to work as a team,” he said.

Local Brisbane athlete Will Valentine is playing for the UQ Barracudas 18&U Boys at the clubs first ever Australian Youth Water Polo Championships.

“It’s awesome to be back at the Australian Youth Water Polo Championships - I haven’t been since the U16s when we were just Brisbane Barracudas,” Valentine said.

“We got all three wins in our group, and it was a pretty tough group with three Sydney teams.

“There are a couple of us in the national squad and on the pathway to national teams so it’s always good to get together for competitions like this.

“And I love Brisbane, so we like welcoming the other teams to come play here,” he said.

At St Margaret’s Pool, Alexandra Hails said her ACU Cronulla Sharks 14&U Girls got the opportunity to keep building on the skills they’ve learnt so far.

“It’s really fun for me - I like it [AYWPC] a lot. Getting to spend time together as a team is always good,” Hails said.

“I’ve only been playing water polo for about a year, so my first Australian Youth Water Polo Championships has been great.

“The girls have been going incredible, we’ve stepped up so much from our first game. That game was really emotional, getting the first game nerves out of the way, but we’ve definitely gotten better since then,” she said.

For full results - click here

WATCH day four live stream via News Corp Australia - click here