Water Polo Australia is pleased to announce the selected players to represent Australia at the U16 Men’s Water Polo World Championships.
The team, composed of 14 male athletes, are set to make their international water polo debut in Zagreb, Croatia from 3-9 August 2026.
For Head Coach Dean Semmens, he is looking forward to seeing the team getting international exposure.
“I’m excited for them to get the opportunity to go overseas and see what international water polo is going to be like,” Semmens said.
“None of the boys have been overseas to play in this type of environment, it is going to be a big step up for them.”
Assistant Coach Adam Richardson echoed Semmens’ sentiments on the toughness of the final selection of the team.
“We have had a really big squad, it has been hard to choose,” he said.
“We had a good training camp at AYWPC and we have been able to select what we think are the best 14 to play for the World Championships.”
The team will head overseas prior to the World Championships, where they will learn fast and adapt to match the Europeans.
“It’s a much higher level of competition, none have experienced European style water polo yet,” said Semmens.
“We will try to make the adjustment quickly in the camps when we get to Europe, learn fast and get some decent results at the World Championships.”
Water Polo Australia would like to congratulate the following athletes on their selection:
Alexander Punzmann (Nordek, ACT)
Chase Staskiewicz (St Andrews/ Mantas, QLD)
Jacob Hebden (Richmond, VIC)
Jack Putter (SNB, NSW)
John Ziros (UNSW, NSW)
Jonah Edelman (Mantas, QLD)
Kody Ryland-Adair (Ryde, NSW)
Levi Clapper (UQ, QLD)
Luka Trbobjevic Cabrera (Sydney Uni, NSW)
Nate Kell (Cronulla, QLD)
Patrick Bosner (UQ, QLD)
Phoenix Irvine (Sydney Uni, NSW)
Reef Potter (Sydney, NSW)
Thomas Gamble (UWA, WA)
Reserves
George Kennedy (Sydney Uni, NSW)
Hugo Miocevic (Sydney Uni, NSW)
Louis Brown (UQ, QLD)
Noah Hale (Sydney Uni, QLD)
