WEEKEND WRAP | ROUND 5 OVO AUSTRALIAN WATERPOLO LEAGUE

The OVO Game of the Week showcased the Clash of the Cats, with Sydney Uni Lions going head to head with inner city rivals UTS Balmain Tigers in a battle for the Grant Simms Cup.

Sydney Uni women entered the round as the only undefeated team in the league, with Balmain also positioned well with five wins from six games.

In front of their home crowd, Sydney Uni were simply too strong for Balmain, coming out hard and maintaining their efforts for the full four quarters.

Aussie Stingers squad member Gabi Palm was formidable in goals for Sydney Uni and was bolstered by a strong defensive effort from the side which proved to be their winning edge.

Captain Keesja Gofers said that her team learnt from their Thursday night outing and were able to capitalise on the opportunities that they had missed early in the round.

“On Thursday there were some missed opportunities from both teams but today we were able to break through a little bit more in attack, we had a bit more control and were able to move their defence around,” Gofers said.

“It was so great to see some of our younger players in the pool at the end too - they’re going so well and I’m really proud of each and every one of them.

Gofers will now join her Aussie Stingers teammates for a two-week training camp in Europe, while the OVO Australian Waterpolo League takes a break.

“We’re heading to Hungary and Italy - it’ll be good to train with them before they have their qualifications so it’s going to be a good tour,” she said.

The men's game echoed the end result of the women, but the action in the water told a very different story.

Sydney Uni men put themselves in the lead early, and Balmain weren’t able to regain the momentum they needed to claim the win.

While the game remained physical, it was the experience of dual Olympian Johnno Cotterill that gave the home side impact, scoring three goals and forming an integral part of the Sydney Uni attack.

Sydney Uni captain Anthony Hrysanthos said that Balmain put up a tough fight and said he believed his teams’ defence is what that got them the win.

“Balmain has a mix of young and experienced players, and they’re not afraid to shoot which makes my life a little bit difficult,’ Hrysanthos said.

“But luckily our defence played really well today and made my job that little bit easier,” he said.

Hrysanthos said that the game took a huge toll on both teams, as it was a physical battle right until the end.

“All the boys were working really hard today, there were periods of three or four minutes with no goals scored,” Hrysanthos said.

“So credit to everyone in the pool for their effort in today’s game.”

The 2020 OVO Australian Waterpolo League will now break for two weeks, while the Aussie Stingers and KAP7 Aussie Sharks squad members reunite for their training camps.

OVO AWL action will return on March 12, with all ten teams competing in round six and vying for the all important finals positions on offer.

Around the grounds...

THURSDAY

UNSW Wests travelled south on Thursday to play against ACU Cronulla Sharks at their Sutherland Leisure Centre home pool.

Both the UNSW Wests Killer Whales and ACU Cronulla Sharks women headed into the game with four wins under their belt and a desire to move up the ladder at the conclusion of round five.

But it was UNSW Wests Killer Whales who were able to get the job done, blowing out the score to 12-7 at the end of the game.

UNSW Wests Magpies got off to a flying start, with an impressive 15-7 win over ACU Cronulla Sharks.

KAP7 Aussie Sharks squad member Lachlan Hollis was the leading goal scorer, converting six of his own for his UNSW team, closely followed by teammate Angus Lambie who scored five.

Across town at the Sydney Uni Aquatic Centre, it was home side Sydney Uni Lions who claimed the win in both the mens (8-7) and womens (7-4) games over UTS Balmain Tigers.

SATURDAY

On Saturday it was Western Australia and South Australia’s time to shine, with Fremantle taking on home side UWA Torpedoes, and Adelaide Jets hosting the Queensland Thunder.

The women opened proceedings in Western Australia, with the game going down to the wire - Fremantle the winners after an intense four quarter battle.

Fremantle men were able to win in a more convincing fashion, outscoring UWA 15 goals to nine.

In South Australia, it was the first matchup of the season between FYFE Adelaide Jets and Queensland Thunder.

Both men's teams headed into the round in a similar position, having had some unlucky results and faced some tough competition in the first five rounds of the 2020 season.

In the end, it was the visitors who reigned supreme, Queensland Thunder women winning 17-4 and Thunder men 13-3.

SUNDAY

Results fell in the favour of UNSW Wests again on Sunday, in their second game of the round against ACU Cronulla Sharks.

There were goals aplenty in the men's match, with a total of 32 scored between both teams.

But it was UNSW Wests Magpies who were able to get the most points on the board, outscoring Cronulla 19-13.

The women’s game was a much closer match up, going goal for goal for the majority of the game.

In the end, it was UNSW Wests Killer Whales who were able to run away with a 13-10 lead.

Both the mens and womens FYFE Adelaide Jets teams remain winless, after going down to Queensland Thunder again on Sunday, 4-10 in the women’s game and 9-6 in the men’s.