Born and bred Sydneysider striving to be the best player he can be

Twenty-two-year-old Tom McJannett has lived in Sydney his whole life and has been a one club man since joining the Sydney University Lions at eight years of age, his aim is simply to be the best player he can be through hard work hard inside and outside the pool.

His immediate focus is on the OVO Australian Waterpolo League and claiming top spot with his Lions teammates.

“At the moment we have one focus and that’s to win AWL, we’ve come so close last few years and we’ve been in this position at the pointy end of the season looking really strong and then we’ve let it slip through our fingers.

“The team has a real bond and everyone is really enjoying coming to training and working hard for each other.

Besides a short stint at centre back recently, Tom has played centre forward for most of his life and will be one of the Lions key men in their quest for top honours.

“I’ve always been a centre forward up until a couple of years ago when I came into AWL where we didn’t really need a centre forward and the requirement was there for a centre back, so our current coach (Dusan Krstic) pushed me into that role which I really enjoyed and still really enjoy.

“But now the team requires a second centre forward so that’s what I am doing and what I really enjoy.

“Both positions are not as similar as everybody thinks, they are both physical but just the levels of awareness are different.

“You have to be much more aware as a centre back, a good centre forward just has to get it right for that split second, but as centre back you have to get it right for the whole 30 seconds otherwise you’re out,” he said.

Tom didn’t have much choice to join the Lions ranks as both his parents met through their heavy involvement at Sydney University.

“I kind of got of got pushed into it by mum and dad and I started playing for Sydney Uni at eight years old and I have never played for any other club.

“I’ve always really enjoyed the sport after coming to it from a swimming background, but it was never going to work out because I just didn’t like staring at the black line.

“Mum and Dad said if you’re not going to train properly at swimming you might as well start water polo and use your swimming ability and size for good, so it was a kind of progression thing.

“As soon as the ball was involved I fell in love with the physicality of it and the skilful aspect of the game, there’s nothing really like it,” he said.

Since starting water polo at the age of eight Tom has experienced some great memories within the sport including a 2013 National Aged Club Championships and selection in the Australian Born 1995 men’s squad.

“We had a really shaky lead up to the 2013 nationals, I think we came fourth or fifth at state championships with the exact same team, we went to nationals knowing what we were capable of, but we didn’t know we could get that far.

“We ended up knocking off all the teams which finished in the top six the year before and just being absolutely solid in defence got us over the line.

“I’m really lucky to still be playing with a lot of guys who were playing in that team (Will Cotterill and Cody Ingram) and I’ve been playing with them for years now, they are a really great bunch of mates to hang out with outside the pool.

“That’s a championship which means a lot to all of us, because we built to it over the years. It took five or six years to get to that point and we beat Cronulla who we’ve never beaten before and we got them in the big one,” he said.

As a proud Sydneysider, Tom enjoys living a city which is so versatile and has so much to offer.

“You’ve got the weird quirks of Newton which we all like, then I’m from Maroubra so I’ve got that laid back beach culture and it is like the touch of the country in a big city, because it can be a boiling hot summers day and you get a parking spot right on the beach you don’t have to pay or you can go into the city and see all of the weird people of the world all congregate in one spot,” he said.

Outside of water polo Tom is busy with a full-time job as a real estate agent, social basketball commitments in the off season as well as barracking for his beloved South Sydney Rabbitohs and Los Angeles Lakers.

But his other passion on top of water polo is the South Maroubra Surf Lifesaving Club where he has been involved since the age of four.

“I like to put time back into the community as a lifeguard down there and for years I was sitting back saying this is how I think things should be run so I decided I would get involved and actually walk the walk instead of just talking the talk.

“I am still in my first year as the Director of Competitions where I oversee competitors in the water and on the beach from 13 years old to masters.

“My Grandpa started the nippers there and my family has always been involved, it’s a big family thing. Mum was the first female nipper in Australia and Grandpa bought female nippers into NSW and Australia,” he said.

Tom swapped Sydney for the shores of California in 2016 when he attended Golden West College for six months.

“A guy from Sydney Uni a year older than me went over there and did it, I was looking for a change and an opportunity came up to go to Golden West which was a strong, competitive program.

“It was a fun six months, we played in the junior college competition over there in California and ended up going 31 games for 31 wins and won Golden West’s 24th California Community College Athletic Association State Championship.

“I made some great friends from all over the world, I learnt a lot about myself and living out of home and I like to think I grew as a person.

“The college experience is different, I couldn’t really handle it, I like to get to bed early and trying to keep up with some of the other boys was very hard work. I wouldn’t go back, I don’t think I could do it to my body again.

“In the long run though it’s been beneficial to my game, going over there training two times a day, six days a week and doing position specific drills and learning to be a competitive trainer, it was a good environment,” he said.

Being involved in a club with many quality athletes like Sydney University has given Tom a long list of excellent role models who can provide great advice, which is an opportunity he hasn’t passed up.

“Johnno Cotterill is the big one, I drive him home from training and he is always good talk to about all sorts of things, including water polo and other things.

“Goran Tomasevic is really helpful with the centre forward stuff and I am always trying to learn from him because he is such a dominant player.

“Everyone in the team is a good influence, they will pull you aside and tell you what they think is best for you and sometimes you don’t want to hear it, but I think most of the time you need to hear it so it’s good,” he said.

Catch Tom next time he is in the pool for the Sydney University Lions when he faces UNSWS Wests Magpies in OVO AWL round 10 action.

Sydney University Lions vs UNSWS Wests Magpies

Saturday March 24, 3:15pm AEST

Peter Montgomery Pool

To view all round 10 fixtures, click here.