Australian Country Teams claim double gold at Princess Chulabhorn Cup

Published Mon 26 Nov 2018

For the third year in a row the Australian Country Men’s and Women’s Team have both claimed gold at the Princess Chulabhorn Cup in Bangkok, Thailand.

Since 2016, the Aussies have walked away victorious with seven members in the current Australian camp present on all three occasions including Peta Schulte (Qld), Caroline Zanussi (NSW), Taylor Miller (NSW) Mathew Brady (ADF), Trevor Southern (QLD), Alan Caldwell (Men’s Head Coach) and Roslyn Caldwell (tour director).

WOMEN’S GOLD MEDAL MATCH

The Aussies took on local team CAC Thailand and flew out of the blocks early to lead 4-2 at quarter time.

But a big momentum shift in the second term saw the Aussies trail be one at half time.

In true country style, the team rallied and worked their way back into the match, eventually holding a slim lead late in the match.

With just over two minutes remaining CAC Thailand scored to trail by one, but Country hit back with a quick goal of their own to close out the game 10-8 and remain undefeated at the tournament.

Centre back Libby Magann led the way with four goals of her own and was well supported by driver Rosie Stimson’s hat trick.

Team captain Peta Schulte was ecstatic with the result and said it was a collective effort.

“It was a tough game, but we all stuck together to our game plan and kept chipping away and we got the win and we’re pretty bloody stoked,” she said.

WAC 10 vs CAC Thailand 8
Qtr time scores: 4-2, 1-4, 2-1, 3-1

MEN’S GOLD MEDAL MATCH

After suffering their only loss of the tournament in the round games to the Japanese side of Integral, the Australian men were eager for redemption in the tournament’s final match.

They got off to a great start leading 3-1 at the first break, but their opposition came out firing after the first break levelling the scores 4-4 at halftime.

Both teams were unable to be separated heading into the final term, with scores locked at 6-6.

The Aussie men held a 8-6 lead midway through the fourth quarter, but with just over two minutes Integral scored to trail by one and set up a grandstand finish.

Australia held their nerve and secured the title, 8-7.

Taylor Miller and Trevor Southern were equal top goal scorers after both netting a double, capping off a memorable tournament for each player.

Australian captain Marko Draksimovic said as a group they found a way to perform and get the win.

“It’s been a great honour representing Australia in this amazing competition.

“We were constantly building our confidence and team spirit and at the end in the final match when nothing went to plan we showed a lot of heart and showed how we can fight for Australia,” he said.

WAC 8 vs Integral 7
Qtr time scores: 3-1, 1-3, 2-2, 2-1

All Results

Australian Country Men’s 2018 Princess Chulabhorn Cup

COMPLETED: Day 1 Wednesday, 21 November | WAC 11 dft. Philippines 3
COMPLETED: Day 1 Wednesday, 21 November | WAC 24 dft. Thai Royal Navy 2
COMPLETED: Day 2 Thursday, 22 November | WAC 6 dft. Hong Kong Water Polo 1
COMPLETED: Day 2 Thursday, 22 November | WAC 12 dft. Singapore Swimming Association 3
COMPLETED: Day 3 Friday, 23 November | WAC 6 dft by. Integral 7
COMPLETED: Day 4 Saturday, 24 November | WAC 14 dft. Taiwan Water Polo Team 3
COMPLETED: Day 5 Sunday, 25 November, semi final |WAC 11 dft. CAC Thailand 2
COMPLETED: Day 5 Sunday, 25 November, gold medal match | WAC 8 dft. Integral 7

Australian Country Women’s 2018 Princess Chulabhorn Cup

COMPLETED: Day 2 Thursday, 22 November | WAC 11 dft. Singapore Swimming Association (1) 2
COMPLETED: Day 3 Friday, 23 November | WAC 10 dft. Indonesia 4
COMPLETED: Day 3 Friday, 23 November | WAC 14 dft. NEREIDS 5
COMPLETED: Day 4 Saturday, 24 November, semi final | WAC 10 dft. Hong Kong Water Polo 3
COMPLETED: Day 5 Sunday, 25 November, gold medal match | WAC 10 dft. CAC Thailand 8

Aussie Teams in medal hunt on final day

Both Australian Men’s and Women’s Country Teams head into the final day of action at the 2018 Princess Chulabhorn Cup with high hopes after impressive performances in the previous three days.

The Aussie Men are staring down the barrel of two games on day four as they search for the title of champions.

In their last round game against Taiwan grabbed a strong 14-3 win, responding well after suffering their first loss in the previous round game.

Centre forward Steele Gribble said it was a great performance by his team.

“We had a good win to pick ourselves back up after our loss against INTEGRAL the day before.

“Now we’re looking forward to going into our semi final,” he said.

The men will play CAC Thailand with a spot in the gold medal match on the line.

The Australian Country Women’s Team go into today’s gold medal match with great momentum after not dropping a single game in the tournament and will have high hopes for a successful performance.

On their road to the final match they overcame Hong Kong 10-3 in the semi final match to progress to the gold medal playoff.

Driver Leah Dodd credits the win to the team’s structure.

“The game was pretty physical, it was quite tight until halftime. But we stuck to our game plan and ground it out in the last half,” she said.

The side now faces off with CAC Thailand at 1:40pm local time looking to cap off a memorable end to their tournament.

Get the latest results and news from Thailand via @WaterPoloAus on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Aussie Country Women’s Team secure sport in Semi Final

After two comprehensive wins on day three at the Princess Chulabhorn Cup, the Australian Country women’s Team are now looking ahead to their semi final clash against Hong Kong.

The Aussie women completed two matches in the same day and kept their winning streak alive in great style.

Following comprehensive 10-4 and 14-5 victories over their opposition, Libby Magann said there is a great feeling within the group at the moment.

“We played really, really well as a team. We were always looking for each other in the pool, we had great team work and we executed our extra man and felt strong in the water.

“Now we’re looking forward to going into our semi final game on day four,” she said.

The national country men suffered their first defeat in Thailand against a physical Japanese team, narrowly going down 6-7.

With one round game left for the men, they will be looking to rebound quickly heading into the playoff stages.

Stay in the know with results and the latest news from Thailand via @WaterPoloAus on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Australian Country continue winning ways in Thailand

The Australian Country Men’s and Women’s Teams remain unbeaten at the 2018 Princess Chulabhorn Cup in Bangkok, Thailand.

After two days of action both teams possess a flawless record while playing some great water polo in the searing Thai heat.

At the end of day two, the Australian Men have played four matches and credit their fitness work prior to the tournament as a strong factor in their victories.

Following their toughest match to date, a 6-1 victory over Hong Kong, Victorian Lesh Govender talked about the spirit within the team to secure the points.

“It was probably our toughest game yet. It was 1-1 after the first quarter, then it got to 3-1 at halftime and the boys dug deep to push it out to 6-1 at full time.

“I’m really proud of the boys, we worked very hard and we’re happy to get the win,” he said.

The Aussie Women’s Team are one from one at the completion of day two courtesy of a solid 11-2 hit out against Singapore Swimming Association.

Women’s captain Peta Schulte said the win was a great way to start the tournament and they want to keep improving.

“It was a really good team performance after we came together in our training games and put together our moves.

“There are a few things to work on but as a whole, it was a very good game” she said.

Schulte and her teammates will now prepare for two matches on day three looking to build momentum into the back half of competition.

Stay up to date with the results and latest news from Thailand via @WaterPoloAus on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

7 things you need to know before the 2018 Princess Chulabhorn Cup

The Water Polo Australia Men’s and Women’s Country teams are completing their final preparations ahead of the 2018 Princess Chulabhorn Cup starting tomorrow in Bangkok, Thailand.

Both Australian Country teams were selected following the National Country Championships at Rockhampton earlier this year and have undergone a four-day long training camp in local conditions before the international tournament.

Here are the 7 things you need to know ahead of 2018 Princess Chulabhorn Cup:

The tournament runs across five days from 21-25 November at the Chulabhorn Aquatic Club in Thailand
The Australian Country Men’s team play their first of six round games on Wednesday 21 November and are one of 13 teams battling it out for the title
The Women’s Country team begins competition on Thursday 22 November and are one of eight teams looking to claim the main prize
In total, 27 teams from 11 different countries will compete
To follow daily updates online from the event organisers follow their Facebook page – click here.
Both teams will be aiming to defend their 2017 titles after successfully winning the tournament last year
To view the official tournament schedule where both teams are officially referred to as ‘Waterpolo Australian Country,’ click here.