AUSTRALIAN YOUTH WATER POLO CHAMPIONSHIPS - WEEK 2 DAY 4 WRAP

The all important semi finals were today held at the Australian Youth Water Polo Championships, as teams put it all on the line to book a spot in tomorrow’s important gold medal playoffs.

After ten days of water polo, it all comes down to Friday’s 12&U and 16&U medal playoffs to determine who will be the Australian champions and who will walk away with the medals on offer and the minor placing bragging rights.

Watch today’s replays from some of the matches via Kommunity TV - click here

Read how the action unfolded across the Gold division semi final matches throughout the day.

16 BOYS SF1 | SNB BREAKERS 10 d UNSW WESTS 6

In the first 16&U Boys semi final of the day, hometown rivals SNB Breakers went head to head with UNSW Wests.

Despite trailing at the start of the game, SNB Breakers fought back to deliver 10-6 win, earning their spot in tomorrow’s gold medal match.

SNB Breakers’ player Cillian McGrath said: “When we played them last time, we lost by one so it was definitely good to get a win back against them.

“Some of these boys who played in 14s last year, it would be good for them to go back to back 

“And for the older boys as well it would be good to get a medal, a good one.

“We don’t have much experience against UQ Barras, and we know they’re going to be a tough team to beat but it’s all going to come down to what happens in the pool tomorrow,” he said.

16 BOYS SF2 | UQ BARRAS 8 d SYDNEY UNI BLUE 7

In a tightly fought contest, Brisbane’s UQ Barracudas defeated Sydney Uni Blue 8-7 to make their way through to tomorrow’s gold medal game.

UQ Barracudas and Sydney Uni Lions both entertained a passionate crowd with a great game of water polo.

But in the end, UQ Barracudas got the upper hand, claiming a one goal win.

UQ Barras Oliver Moncur said: “This means a lot - we’ve put a lot of training in to get here so to make the final means a lot.

“It would mean a lot to win the gold medal - it’s the one thing we came here for and we’re excited for tomorrow,” he said.

16 GIRLS SF1 | POLO BEARS 13 d DRUMMOYNE DEVILS 8

In the 16&U Girls semi final, Brisbane’s Polo Bears went head to head with Sydney’s Drummoyne Devils for a spot in the gold medal match.

Polo Bears started strong, leading from the outset and putting their opposition on notice.

In the end, Polo Bears managed to get out to a five goal lead, earning their spot in the gold medal match with a 13-8 win.

Polo Bears’ Ali McCarthy said: “I think everyone is stoked, we’re all really excited but I think the nerves will kick in soon.

“All of us girls would really love to be taking a gold medal home with us.

“Tomorrow, we know we’re going to have to press hard and let no outside shots in.

“Our team is all pretty close, and we know where to pass the ball so that makes it easier in the pool,” she said.

16 GIRLS SF2 | UTS BALMAIN TIGERS 8 d SNB BREAKERS 2

In the second 16&U Girls semi final, Sydney sides UTS Balmain Tigers and SNB Breakers met to determine who would be playing for tomorrow’s gold medal.

A determined UTS Balmain Tigers side won by 6-goals to book their spot, and get another opportunity to play for an Australian Youth Water Polo Championships medal.

UTS Balmain Tigers’ Saskia Dunn said: “We’ve been working it for a year, we came third as bottom age last year so we have a lot of fire in us to win this time.

“Polo Bears really want to win as well, so tomorrow I think it’s going to be about who wants it more and who can play better as a team.

“We obviously can do that, we’ve been working together for quite a while now so if we trust each other we can do anything.

“It would mean a lot to win the gold, it’s a lot of early mornings and cold training sessions during winter at Dawnies. It would mean all of our hard work is finally paying off,” she said.

12 BOYS GOLD MEDAL PREVIEW | SYDNEY UNI v MANTAS

Following a thrilling round robin competition, Sydney Uni and Mantas will meet in tomorrow’s 12&U Boys gold medal match.

Mantas Marcus Pavanello and Kieran Stuart said it’s been great to play against some different teams and their looking forward to playing for gold.

“I think tomorrow we’ll just play hard, keep the pressure on and defend well,” Pavanello said.

“It would mean a lot to win the gold medal tomorrow, we’ve been working really hard,” he said.

“It’s been really fun, fun playing with our friends and we’ve had some really competitive games,” Stuart said.

“It’s been harder than what we’re used to, which is just going to make us better,” he said.

12 GIRLS GOLD MEDAL PREVIEW | ALL HALLOWS v UWA

After playing a round robin competition, it will be a top of the table clash between All Hallows and UWA in the 12&U Girls gold medal match.

AHS’ Mia Royal and Darcy Proctor have enjoyed their experience in Perth so far, and are hoping it ends on a high tomorrow.

“I really like it here at the Australian Youth Water Polo Championships because it’s so fun to be with your team and play against all different teams,” Royal said.

“We’ve played against two WA teams which has been really cool because we wouldn’t have had the chance to if we weren’t here.

“We’re very excited for tomorrow, I think the whole team is a bit nervous, and we really want to win gold,” she said.

“It’s a great opportunity to learn whether you win or not,” Proctor said.

“We’re learning from the other teams, learning their strategies so we can put them into our game as well,” she said.