Pride on the line for Tigers and Lions in Round Five OVO Australian Waterpolo League

With four rounds to go in the 2020 OVO Australian Waterpolo League season, teams will be putting it all on the line this weekend in a final push towards the coveted top six.

Round Five OVO Game of the Week will feature the Clash of the Cats, as inner city rivals UTS Balmain Tigers v Sydney Uni Lions go head to head in what is always a fierce contest.

The winner of the Clash of the Cats will also walk away with the Grant Simms Cup.

The two sides are yet to meet in the 2020 season, and with both teams having seen a lot of off season movement and signings, this weekend’s clash will be one to watch.

Returning to the OVO AWL after a one year stint in Greece with Vouliagmeni club, captain of the Sydney Uni Lions mens team Anthony Hrysanthos has given his team some much needed confidence this year, holding down the fort in the net.

Hrysanthos’ team currently sit in second place, after meeting first place Fremantle Mariners in Perth last weekend where they finished with a win and a loss.

“Last weekend was difficult, having just come off a four game round the weekend before, and to back it up again was hard,” Hrysanthos said.

“But it’s always good for the confidence to get a win, especially having so many new boys in the team and a new coach.”

Opposition goalkeeper James Clark has been invaluable in the net for his UTS Balmain Tigers team this year, with only 48 goals scored against him, second only to UNSW Wests Magpies and fellow KAP7 Aussie Sharks team mate Joel Dennerley with 45.

Coming into this weekend’s match off the back of a bye, Clark said he hopes that will play into his team’s favour.

“The nature of the competition at the moment, with the back-to-back games, means that teams are naturally going to get tired,” Clark said.

“So to have the weekend off last weekend, especially seeing as Sydney Uni had their Perth road trip, will hopefully be advantageous.”

Clark said that the Clash of the Cats is always an interesting battle and this weekend will be no different.

“They’ve (Sydney Uni) have got some good strength in their offence, and that’s backed up by some solid defence with Anthony (Hrysanthos) in goals,” Clark said.

“But we’ve tried to focus on ourselves more than anything, and we’re really positive about what this season will bring.”

Sydney Uni Lions women remain the only undefeated team in the league, a feat that Rio Oympian and captain Keesja Gofers puts down to the depth in their squad.

“We’ve got so much variety in our team and I think that’s why we’ve been undefeated so far,” Gofers said.

“Every time someone gets in the pool, they’re ready to go and that’s really refreshing for us.”

UTS Balmain captain Pascalle Casey said that they aren’t going to let Sydney Uni’s winning streak get in their heads this weekend.

“Having the weekend off last weekend, we’re all feeling fresh. We’ve been working on the basics and just doing the little things right,” Casey said.

“But we know they’re a really tough team, and they haven’t lost a game so we know it’s going to be a fierce battle this weekend.”

The UTS Balmain Tigers-Sydney Uni Lions game will be streamed LIVE on OVO Play or can be watched via the OVO Play App from 1:00pm AEDT on Sunday 23 February.

For full fixtures and results, stay up-to-date via the match centre.

Get social this season #OVOAWL2020 and follow @WaterPoloAus