WEEKEND WRAP | ROUND 2 OVO AUSTRALIAN WATERPOLO LEAGUE

All teams returned for the second round of the OVO Australian Waterpolo League (AWL) teams over the weekend.

The OVO featured game of the week showcased the beautiful Queen’s Wharf Harbour venue in Newcastle, with the Hunter Hurricanes at home to Queensland Thunder.

It was a battle of all the elements, with teams taking on the tenacity of the harbour venue in what was a thrilling display of water polo.

The Thunder Men claimed victory in an impressive last quarter effort securing them the win 11-12.

Thunder captain Billy Miller again led from the front, scoring another four goal haul after an impressive opening round the weekend before. Miller said that roadtrip wins are always good to bank early in the season.

“That game was a little too stressful for my liking,” said Miller.

“It was a very different experience playing in a harbour rather than a pool, a lot of the elements came into play so it was a difficult game, but an enjoyable one,” he said.

Hurricanes’ Mitchell Marsden said that he was proud of his team for fighting until the end.

“Although we lost, I think we should still be proud of our performance,” Marsden said.

“A lot of our team are debutantes and youngsters, so it’s their first or second national league season. It wasn’t the result we wanted, but there’s still a lot of positives to take from it,” he said.

Queensland Thunder Women remain on top of the table after defeating Hunter Hurricanes 12-4.

Thunder captain Bron Knox said that it required a full four quarter effort from her team to claim the win.

“That game was really good, we started off well and although our defence fell apart a little bit in the middle we were able to tighten it back up and come away with the win in the end,” Knox said.

“It’s great preparation, and good communication practice, so it was absolutely awesome to be down here in the harbour,” she said.

The triple Olympian said that this OVO AWL season is proving to be a great game experience in the lead up to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

“The games this season have all been really close so it’s been great for myself and my Stingers teammates’ to test ourselves,” Knox said.

The two sides met again on Sunday, with the Thunder Women walking away with bragging rights from a 15-7 win and the Hurricanes Men using the homeground advantage to take a 13-8 win over the visitors.

AROUND THE GROUNDS | ROUND 2

THURSDAY

The Thunder kicked off their Sydney roadtrip with games against the UTS Balmain Tigers on Thursday, with wins for both visiting teams.

The Thunder Women were able to hold off a formidable Tigers side to walk away with a 14-10 win, with the Thunder men following in a similar fashion to claim a 8-6 victory.

The FYFE Adelaide Jets were also tasked with a round two roadtrip, kicking off against ACU Cronulla Sharks.

The Sharks played to their strengths, and proved to be too strong for the visiting Jets teams, with Sharks winning 13-4 in the Women’s and 12-10 in the Men’s.

FRIDAY

The first Western Derby headlined Friday’s action, with Fremantle hosting rivals UWA at Bicton Pool.

Fremantle were not going to disappoint their home crowd, and were able to claim dominating wins in both games - the men winning 14-8 and women 15-6.

UTS came out firing, fresh off the back of a loss the previous night, and put it all on the line to reign victorious over the Thunder, in their second match up of the round, with a 9-5 win for the Tigers women and 13-6 win for the Tigers men.

It was raining goals at the UNSW Fitness and Aquatic Centre on Friday night, with convincing wins for the UNSW Wests home sides over visitors FYFE Adelaide Jets.

UNSW Wests Magpies (M) won 19-2 and UNSW Wests Killer Whales (W) won 17-4.

SATURDAY

Cross town rivals Sydney Uni Lions and Drummoyne Devils met for the first time of the OVO AWL season in Round Two, and showcased some sharp shooting for onlookers at Peter Montgomery Pool.

The home sides were able to string together some impressive end to end water polo which earned them the wins in both the men’s (12-11) and women’s (16-10) games.

UNSW were again too strong for the visiting Jets - UNSW Wests Magpies (M) defeating FYFE Adelaide Jets 25-7 and UNSW Wests Killer Whales (W) defeating Jets 14-6.

SUNDAY

As Round Two drew to a close, it was again a close encounter for the Sydney Uni Lions and Drummoyne Devils Women.

But the Lions Women continued their winning streak, with a 15-9 victory. The Men were struck by some intermittent weather forcing the match to be abandoned, resulting in a 5-5 draw.

The FYFE Adelaide Jets travelled back to the Shire to face the ACU Cronulla Jets one last time before heading home.

The Sharks once again proved to be front runners in season 2020, with a 9-6 win for their men and a 17-3 win for the women.