The Ord Minnett Aussie Sharks will go head to head with Hungary tonight, in the men’s semi finals at the World Aquatics Water Polo World Cup Finals in Sydney.
After upsetting reigning world champions Spain in the quarterfinals on Thursday, the Aussies are determined to carry that momentum, and boost from the home crowd, into tonight’s game.
Hungary are currently ranked number two in the world while Australia are ranked ninth. It wouldn’t be the first time the Aussies have dethroned the European powerhouses, defeating them 9-8 in a thrilling match at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
Ord Minnett Aussie Sharks captain Nathan Power who was instrumental in the Paris victory, said the team are feeling excited about tonight’s match up.
“Obviously, the result the other day was something to gain a lot of motivation from and then now getting to play a team with the skill and history of Hungary, here at home…it’s going to be quite an incredible atmosphere tonight, and I think everyone’s really, really looking forward to it,” Power said.
“The team is feeling really good. We’ve had a really good 48 hour period between matches and everyone’s absolutely primed and ready to go for it,” he said.
Ord Minnett Aussie Sharks Head Coach Tim Hamill said the team have reviewed the performance against Spain, and will be looking to carry that same momentum and energy into tonight’s game against Hungary.
“The victory over Spain is a huge occasion, a huge moment for our team,” Hamill said.
“It’s something that we’ve been working towards for some time and to produce that type of performance in front of our home crowd was a really special moment for us.
“We know that the Hungarian game tonight will be a challenging one for us, but we have a huge amount of momentum and energy at the moment, and we’re truly, really excited to play in our first big semifinal for some time,” he said.
