Australian Born 02 Men's squad feeling positive after training camp in Brisbane

Published Tue 21 Jan 2020

The Australian Born 02 Men’s squad are training together in Brisbane this week in preparation for the FINA World Men’s Youth Water Polo Championships in Istanbul (TUR) in August 2020.

Coached by Olympian and former Head Coach of the Aussies Sharks John Fox, the extended 21-man squad have been training twice a day, and playing scrimmage matches against the Queensland Thunder men’s team.

Fox said that it has been a great opportunity to have the group together and to test them in a pressured environment.

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“It’s been fantastic having the group together, going through tactics, assessing their fitness and having them back up after a week of competition is exactly what we need to do in preparation for the World Champs,” Fox said.

“The boys are tired, but it’s been good to see how they operate under stress, both physically and mentally,” he said.

The boys entered camp off the back of their week long competition at the 2020 KAP7 Australian Youth Water Polo Championships.

During the week, the boys had the chance to watch their KAP7 Aussie Sharks idols in action against the USA Men’s team, an opportunity which Fox said was invaluable.

“We asked the boys to watch the games not just as spectators, but as if they were involved in the game, and then we’ve taken that and tried to put those things into practice in our games,” Fox said.

“We don’t get the opportunity to see many international mens games live, so the boys have picked up a lot.”

ACT athlete and squad member Matt Wilson said that the boys have been training hard and enjoying their time together in Brisbane.

“It’s been a tough few days, but we’ve definitely learnt a lot and gained a lot from training and playing against Queensland,” Wilson said.

“We’re trying to catch up to a lot of these European teams and get into good physical shape so that when we go over to Turkey we can compete and be at the same level as them,” he said.

Tex Sjerp echoed Wilson’s comments, saying that the extended squad have all been working hard to earn their spot on the team that will travel to Istanbul.

“A lot of the boys are a little nervous, but we’re still excited and really keen to get out there,” Sjerp said.

“I think everyone’s psyched about the possibility of being in the team that will head over, because it’s an awesome opportunity to get out onto the world stage and show them what we’ve got,” he said.

The squad will now return home to their respective states where they will continue to work closely with the state institutions and AWL clubs until they come back together for a training camp in May.

Born 02 Men’s Squad

Andrew Barber (WA) UWA

Connor Barclay (NSW) Cronulla

Lachlan Barclay (VIC) Richmond

Mattia Bognolo (ACT) Dolphins

Noah Bright (QLD) Barracudas

Harry Bruce (WA) Melville

Riley Childs (WA) UWA

Charlie Emmanuel (WA) UWA

Charlie Hunter (NSW) Cronulla

Julian Kyriakou (WA) UWA

Luca Kristic (NSW) Sydney University