AUSSIES ABROAD: STINGERS IN THE SPOTLIGHT AS EUROPEAN AND US COMPETITIONS HEAT UP

As the countdown to the 2023 World Aquatics Championships heats up, the European leagues and US College Championships have reached the pointy end.

A number of our Aussie Stingers squad members have bolstered their international clubs for the 2022/23 season, and helped to guide their teams to finals berths.

Read on to find out how our Aussie players and their international teams are tracking.

ITALY

Tokyo Olympian Bronte Halligan and fellow Aussie Stingers squad member Alice Williams have bolstered their L’Ekipe Orizzonte Catania club team to back-to-back Italian A1 finals.

L’Ekipe Orizzonte Catania won the best-of-five finals series against SIS Roma which featured Aussie Stingers Tokyo Olympian Abby Andrews.

Andrews topped the goal scorers list with 49 goals for the season, followed by Williams in second with 46 goals.

Aussie Stingers Head Coach Paul Oberman said it was great to see the competition between L’Ekipe Orizzonte Catania and SIS Roma this year.

“The Italian A1 league has produced many exciting games this season, a lot of those involving our Aussie trio of Bronte Halligan, Alice Williams and Abby Andrews,” Oberman said.

“For Alice and Abby, this was their first season playing for European clubs, and the results speak for themselves. Both women should be extremely proud of the seasons they’ve had, and finishing at the top of the goal scorers tally for the season.

“This is Bronte’s second title with L’Ekipe Orizzonte Catania, and she has continued to excel in her role as the playmaker for the club.

“All three women will now return to Australia, and the Aussie Stingers environment, as preparations for the 2023 World Aquatics Championships, and ultimately the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, continue,” he said.

SPAIN

Aussie Stingers Tokyo Olympian Gabi Palm has just wrapped up her season abroad playing with CE Mediterrani in the Spain Liga Division de Honor (Spanish Premier League).

Palm, who has continued to show why she is considered one of the best goal keepers in the world, was crucial for her team this season.

In the Finals Series, Palm’s team bowed out in the semi finals to Sabadell, a club which fields eight members of the Spanish national team, along with USA superstar Maggie Steffens and Netherlands gun Catherine van der Sloot.

Hayley Ballesty also spent time in Spain this season, playing for CN Sant Andreu in the first half of the season. She injured her shoulder in January during the Tri Nations Test Series, which required surgery and did not return. Ballesty’s team lost in the semi finals to CN Mataro.

Oberman said despite the end result, this season has been integral to both Palm and Ballesty’s growth as international players.

“One of the things we often speak about is how valuable the time we spend playing against and being exposed to international water polo is,” Oberman said.

“Playing in Spain this season, the athletes have had the experience of matching up against a number of Spanish national team players that won silver at the Tokyo Olympic Games.

“Gabi will now bring that experience back to the Aussie Stingers environment, as we build towards the World Championships in July,” he said.

GREECE

The Greek league has also come to a close, with four Aussie Stingers playing crucial roles in their teams finals campaigns.

The 5th and 6th place playoffs saw two Aussie Stingers team mates going head to head, with Pascalle Casey’s Panionios falling to Lena Mihailovic’s Alimos team, 2 games to 1 in the series.

Charlize Andrews has spent the season playing for Ethnikos, who finished third overall after defeating Glyfada in the playoff series 2-1.

Aussie Stingers Tokyo Olympian Amy Ridge joined Vouliagmeni this season, and has helped guide her team to a finals berth.

In a best-of-five series against Olympiakos, a club which yields 80% of the Greek National team, Ridge’s side went down 0-3.

Oberman said that the European powerhouse nation has continued to develop their domestic league this season.

“It has been great to see so many of our Aussies playing for Greek clubs this season,” Oberman said.

“Greece is traditionally a strong water polo nation, and their domestic league produces many close battles and tough games.

“The experience that our Aussie quartet of Pascalle, Lena, Charlize and Amy have learnt is something I’m excited to welcome back into our Aussie Stingers environment when they return to Australia in the coming weeks,” he said.

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Our Aussie Stingers squad members featured heavily in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) women’s college water polo finals over the weekend.

Aussie Stingers Tokyo Olympian Tilly Kearns returned to play for University of Southern California (USC) this season, helping guide her team to a finals berth. In the final, USC fell just short against Stanford 9-11.

Young guns Sienna Green (UCLA) and Nioka Thomas (UC Irvine) went head to head in the quarter finals, UCLA claiming the victory 14-12 and advancing to the semi finals before bowing out with a 9-14 loss to eventual national champions Stanford.

Fellow Aussie Stingers squad member Ruby Swadling also spent the season at college in the US, playing for Cal Berkeley. Cal Berkeley’s finals run ended at the quarter finals with a tough 9-11 loss to Princeton.

Whilst they didn’t make the NCAA finals, losing at the Big West conference finals, Aussie Stingers squad member Jamie Oberman (California State University Long Beach) helped her school to rank seventh nationally, their highest ranking since 2005.

Additionally, many other Australian water polo student/athletes in the USA spread across the country in different school programs, five of which are in the current national Junior squad.

Oberman said the US college system continues to attract a number of Australian players, and once again showed this season why it is considered one of the best domestic competitions in the world.

“The USA are water polo powerhouses, and their senior national team’s results at both the World Championships and Olympic Games in recent years speak for themselves,” Oberman said.

“Many of their Olympians careers kick-started in the NCAA, and our Aussies are now reaping the rewards of that.

“Playing against world class players week in and week out is something that can’t be replicated, and I know Tilly, Sienna, Nioka, Ruby and Jamie will have benefitted from that,” he said.