OLYMPIAN GLENCORA MCGHIE SETS NEW WOMEN’S AWL RECORD

Olympic bronze medalist Glencora McGhie set a new Australian Waterpolo League (AWL) record on the weekend, becoming the first woman to play 350 AWL games. 

The proud mum of three from WA’s Fremantle Water Polo Club, said there is plenty that motivates her to keep playing, and keep the number of matches ticking over. 

“Simply… I still love playing. It's my love of the game that has kept those numbers accumulating.

“Now that I have three kids, it’s very much a hobby for me.  But since I had the twins, water polo has become my “me” time, it’s something I’m able to do for myself which I saw as really important. 

“Being a mum, your kids and family’s needs come first. Playing water polo allows me to carve out some time for myself.

“I think with water polo it is a sport, baring injuries, that offers longevity for many of us, because you can keep active but it’s not as taxing on the body as some other sports like running, netball or hockey,” she said. 

While McGhie might consider the AWL her hobby, that hasn’t stopped her competitive nature coming out each time the whistle blows. 

Her Fremantle side has only dropped one game in the KAP7 Cup and McGhie herself continues to be a force to be reckoned with within the side. 

“I don’t know that my competitiveness will ever go away.  I did wonder going back ‘am I going to be able to cope with this being a hobby?’ and ‘can I still match up?’

“Post my Olympic career, my focus was on having a family and I didn’t really think about water polo beyond that.

“Having water polo as my hobby… playing with Fremantle, I haven’t had a problem fitting back in.  And I like that I know I can still match up,” she said. 

Looking back on her AWL days, McGhie admitted: “I don’t remember much about my first ever game of National League, but I do remember my first season. There was a lot of bench warming that season!

“Now I’m in a position where I can share my expertise with more junior players. Our Club is always very supportive and they work hard to keep people involved.”

The 2022-2023 season is shaping up to be a hotly contested battle and McGhie said she believes there will be more to uncover as the season progresses.

“I think there are plenty of hidden cards from a few clubs that they are yet to play, which will make the rest of the season exciting. 

“I think our team is getting stronger and stronger each game.  Like many Clubs, we have a few imports playing and we are still at that point where we are just trying to figure each other out. 

“But as we get more games together, I think things will really start to click and you’ll see even more from us,” she said. 

The final weekend of the KAP7 Cup gets underway on Friday, with games streamed via Kommunity TV - click here

The winners of the KAP7 Cup will be crowned this weekend, following which teams ranked 1 to 6 in each gender will progress through to the “AWL Championship”, and will play each other twice, across five rounds. The top four sides qualifying a spot in the Finals Series from 28-30 April.

Teams ranked 7-11 following the KAP7 Cup, will continue the season playing for the Southern Cross Cup that will be held over four rounds, again playing each other twice.