Ord Minnett Aussie Stingers World Aquatics Championships Campaign

BRONZE MEDAL PLAYOFF I AUSTRALIA 14 def by ITALY 16

The Ord Minnett Australian Women’s Water Polo team went down fighting in the bronze medal game at the World Aquatics Championships, narrowly going down to Italy 14-16. 

While it’s not the result the Ord Minnett Aussie Stingers were hoping for today, overall their World Championships campaign has been successful, the team aiming to better their result from the previous World Championships which was sixth. 

Today’s bronze medal playoff delivered an extremely close and physical contest, with no more than three goals separating the two sides at any stage. 

Trailing by one at the end of the first quarter, the Aussies staged a strong comeback to lock up the score 10-10 at half time. 

With Italy suffering a red card before the halfway point, the third quarter saw the Aussies a man up, but unfortunately weren’t able to capitalise enough with an extra man to push ahead of Italy. 

The Italians proved relentless in their defence, and after a big win earlier in the tournament against reigning Olympic and World champions USA, they were determined to be walking away with a medal.

Australia didn’t go down without a fight and were in it right until the end, showing promising signs just 12 months out from the Paris Olympic Games. 

They will now need to play New Zealand in the Oceania Olympic Qualifier in Auckland from 11-13 August 2023, with the winner of the three test match series booking their ticket to the Paris Olympic Games. 

Australian Head Coach, Paul Oberman, said while today’s loss is hard to take, a top four finish is what they set out to achieve at this tournament. 

"To make the top four is a success. To have two disappointing losses in the end - fourth place is always the worst place to come, you lose your last two games after all the good work you have done early. But it's still a success and a good building block for the future,” Oberman said.

"Italy were playing a very tough, physical press. We had to play a little bit tougher and stronger. We knew that Italy was going to come out physically and we just had to try and match it and play our style.

"There is still learning to go, I am not going to deny that. 

"More importantly for us right now in two weeks, we are playing in the Olympic qualifiers against New Zealand.

"With this disappointment we have got to turn this around in a short timeframe and then look at what we need to do to play against New Zealand and prepare for them,” he said. 

The Ord Minnett Aussie Stingers will now return to Australia before departing for New Zealand to compete in the Oceania Olympic Qualifier from 11-13 August as they look to book their spot in the Paris Olympic Games. 

AUSTRALIA: 1. Palm, Gabi; 2. CASEY, Pascalle (1); 3. ARMIT, Elle (1); 4. HALLIGAN, Bronte (2); 5. LEESON-SMITH, Bridget (1); 6. ANDREWS, Abby (2); 7. ANDREWS, Charlize (2); 8. RIDGE, Amy; 9. ARANCINI, Zoe (1); 10. WILLIAMS, Alice (3); 11. KEARNS, Tilly (1); 12. FASALA, Tenealle; 13. LONGMAN, Genevieve

SEMI FINAL: AUSTRALIA 8 def by SPAIN 10

The Ord Minnett Australian Women’s Water Polo team will play for the bronze medal at the World Aquatics Championships in Japan, after narrowly going down to Spain 8-10 in tonight’s semi final. 

Tokyo Olympic silver medalists Spain were always going to be a tough opponent and got out to an early lead in the first quarter that set them up for the rest of the match. 

Despite trailing by three goals at the end of the first quarter, the Aussies showed their grit and delivered 4 goals to 2 in the second quarter, going into halftime 6-8. 

The final two quarters saw both teams score two goals a piece, in an evenly matched second half and despite their best defensive efforts, the Ord Minnett Aussie Stingers weren’t able to convert enough attempts at goal to advance to play for gold. 

They will now play in the bronze medal playoff on Friday 28 July at 2:00pm AEST where they will meet another European powerhouse in Italy.

Italy will come into the match with some levels of confidence having defeated reigning Olympic and World champions USA in the earlier cross over stages. 

The last time the Aussie Stingers played for a medal at the World Championships was in Gwangju in 2019, where they secured the victory and took home bronze.

Ord Minnett Aussie Stingers Head Coach Paul Oberman said: “It was a tough game, Spain is a very good team. We had a slow start allowing their shooters to get into the game.  

“I was proud of the efforts we put in to fight back but unfortunately it wasn’t our day.   

“We won the last three quarters 8-7.  Our team has the ability and with experiences like this we will continue to improve.

“We are looking forward to the next game and the challenge of playing Italy in the bronze medal game,” he said. 

Australia now face Italy for the bronze medal playoff on Friday 28 July at 2:00pm AEST. Watch live and free on 9Now.

AUSTRALIA: 1. Palm, Gabi; 2. SWADLING, Ruby; 3. ARMIT, Elle (1); 4. HALLIGAN, Bronte (1); 5. LEESON-SMITH, Bridget; 6. ANDREWS, Abby (1); 7. ANDREWS, Charlize; 8. RIDGE, Amy; 9. ARANCINI, Zoe (2); 10. WILLIAMS, Alice (2); 11. KEARNS, Tilly (3); 12. PONTRE, Sofie; 13. LONGMAN, Genevieve

QUARTER FINAL: AUSTRALIA 9 def GREECE 8

The Ord Minnett Aussie Stingers are through to the semi final of the World Aquatics Championships in Japan, after a thrilling quarter final saw them take down European heavyweights Greece 9-8.

Greece came into tonight’s match the favourites after topping the table in the Group stages. But the Ord Minnett Aussie Stingers showed they were more than up for the challenge. 

Despite trailing 3-4 at the end of the first quarter, the Aussies managed to take control of the game to lead 7-5 at half time. 

Heading into the final quarter the Aussies had a one goal lead, 9-8, with nothing separating the two sides and both teams managing to keep each other scoreless. 

For the final 13 minutes of the game, neither side was able to score, the Stingers relentless defence proving difficult for the Greeks to breakthrough. 

In the final second, the Greeks earnt possession,  making their way towards the goal, but the Aussies formidable defence, led by goal keeper Gabi Palm, put the pressure on forcing a turnover. The Aussies, keeping their composure, were able to run down the clock and secure the win. 

Dual Olympian and Ord Minnett Aussie Stingers Captain Zoe Arancini, said her side is thrilled to make it into the top four and edge closer to their chance to play for gold. 

“It’s been a long time since [we made] the top four, so this is a huge deal for us and for the [women’s] program as well. The girls have worked so hard for this and I’m proud to see it come to fruition,” Arancini told AAP.

“Our defence was outstanding. We had big blocks and Gabi [Palm] was outstanding in the cage and our centre backs were doing their job.  We want to ride this momentum,” she said. 

With both teams unable to score in the final quarter and the clock ticking down Arancini said it was those big moments they prepared most for.

“It was huge and immensely intense. But that’s what you train for, those moments and credit to the girls they grinded it out. It was a tough win but a win is a win and we are all so happy,” Arancini told AAP.

“Composure and our toughness. We were tough in our defence and that transitioned into our attack. We took our opportunities and we converted those shots early on,” she said.

For Head Coach Paul Oberman, he said tonight’s win was about playing the game they had set out to play.
“It was about belief in ourselves.  We had the right game plan and we had the right tactics,” Oberman told AAP.

“Our composure was really good in our attack as well as keeping the belief in our defence. 

“The girls did a fantastic job in that last quarter. We created some really good opportunities… we just kept going and ground it out and I think that’s the mark of a good team. 

“It was a very good game and Greece are a very good team, they were second at the European Championships last year.  So for us it's just a good game for us to beat a European team and to get some belief in ourselves,” he said. 

Tokyo Olympian Tilly Kearns was named player of the match, proving vital in both her defensive efforts and scoring two goals. Rising star Alice Williams has had a stand out World Championships, adding another two goals tonight, to take her total at this event to nine. 

Australia have a tough road to the gold medal match as they now look to regroup ahead of the semi finals on Wednesday 26 July (7:30pm AEST) where they will meet Tokyo 2020 Olympic silver medalists Spain. 

Watch live and free on 9Now.

ROUND OF 16: AUSTRALIA 16 def ISRAEL 7

The Ord Minnett Aussie Stingers have won their round of 16 match at the World Aquatics World Championships in Japan, defeating Israel 16-7.

The Aussies were never headed, leading from start to finish in a dominant display which sets them up well for their quarter-final against Greece on Monday.

Eight Australian players wrote their names on the scoresheet with Elie Armit scoring four and Tilly Kearns three goals.

Zoe Arancini opened the scoring after 85 seconds before Israel equalised soon after.

Kearns, Bronte Halligan and Armit added to the scoresheet for a 4-1 advantage going into the final two minutes of the opening quarter.

In a lightning run into the first break Alice Williams, Abby Andrews and Halligan each scored before Israel tightened the margin to 7-2 at quarter-time.

The second quarter started much like the first with Kearns scoring on 76 seconds before Ruby Swadling opened up a seven-goal advantage.

Israel scored their only goal of the quarter with just over two minutes left on the clock, however Armit and Andrews added to their tally to set up an 11-3 half-time lead.

An Australian offensive foul at the start of the third term saw Israel take full advantage as they opened the scoring in the second half.

However it was their only joy in a quarter dominated by the Old Minnett Aussie Stingers, Armit scoring twice and Kearns nailing another shot for a 10-goal lead going into the final break.

It took Australia almost four minutes to add to their scoreline in the fourth quarter with Arancini the first to slot a goal, before Israel scored three in a row for the first time in the match.

Fittingly, the final say went to the Aussies with Tenealle Fasala scoring the last goal of the match to deliver Australia a 16-7 win.

“I’m proud of the girls, we had a fun match today,” said Bronte Halligan after the game. “We’d never played Israel before and they were a really fun opponent.

“I think we just played as a team and we found the options and we just worked together really well, really nicely and achieved our goal of making top eight and so now we look forward and see what we can do.”

The Ord Minnett Aussie Stingers now face Greece in the quarter-finals on Monday 24 July (7pm AEST). You can watch live via 9Now.

AUSTRALIA: 1. PALM, Gabi; 2. SWADLING, Ruby (1); 3. ARMIT, Elle (4); 4. HALLIGAN, Bronte (2); 5. LEESON-SMITH, Bridget; 6. ANDREWS, Abby (2); 7. ANDREWS, Charlize; 8. RIDGE, Amy; 9. ARANCINI, Zoe (2); 10. WILLIAMS, Alice (1); 11. KEARNS, Tilly (3); 12.FASALA, Tenealle (1); 13. LONGMAN, Genevieve.

GAME 3: AUSTRALIA 11 def CHINA 7

The Ord Minnett Aussie Stingers rebounded well to deliver an emphatic win in the final match in the preliminary stages at the World Aquatics World Championships, taking a 11-7 victory over China.

The Aussies looked strong and composed from the outset, with Tilly Kearns opening up the scoring for her side. 

Heading into the first break leading 4-1, courtesy of goals from captain Zoe Arancini and Abby Andrews, as well as a Bronte Halligan penalty goal, the Ord Minnett Aussie Stingers set themselves up well. 

While China managed to out score the Aussies three goals to two in the second period, the Aussies held a 6-4 lead at half time.

Coming out of the break the Aussies once again took an ironclad grip on the game, owning possession and proving strong in their defence to set up a 9-5 lead heading into the final quarter. 

In a do or die match for China, who needed the win in order to progress in the World Championships, they came out strong in the final quarter and were determined to go down fighting.

But it was too little too late with the both teams notching up two goals a piece to see the Ord Minnett Aussie Stingers finish out the game 11-7. 

The win will see the Aussies finish second in the preliminary stages and advance through to the cross overs, with their opponents unknown just yet. 

Tokyo Olympian Bronte Halligan commented post match: “It was a really fun game to play against China today. We had a lot of team goals and really good defence so just really happy to get that win.

“We got the win and that’s the most important thing, which means we finish second in our group. We look forward to finishing it off in the cross overs and the quarter finals,” she said. 

The Ord Minnett Aussie Stingers will now wait to see who they play off in the cross overs on Saturday 222 July (Time TBC). You can watch live via 9Now.

AUSTRALIA: 1. PALM, Gabi; 2. SWADLING, Ruby; 3. ARMIT, Elle; 4. HALLIGAN, Bronte (2); 5. LEESON-SMITH, Bridget; 6. ANDREWS, Abby (1); 7. ANDREWS, Charlize; 8. RIDGE, Amy (2); 9. ARANCINI, Zoe (2); 10. WILLIAMS, Alice (2); 11. KEARNS, Tilly (2); 12. PONTRE, Sofie; 13. LONGMAN, Genevieve

GAME 2: AUSTRALIA 5 def by USA 9

The Ord Minnett Aussie Stingers have recorded a tough loss in their second game at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships.

Matching up against reigning Olympic and World Champions USA, both teams came out firing eager to earn the vital competition points on offer.

Alice Williams opened up the goal scoring for Australia, responding to a quick goal by the US in the first two minutes of the game.

Tokyo Olympian Amy Ridge followed, slotting one into the back of the net to give the Stingers a one goal lead. Tokyo Olympian Bronte Halligan added her name to the goal scorers list, before the US responded and the first quarter ended 3-5 in the defending champions favour.

The Aussies defence stepped up in the second quarter, managing to keep the US at bay, with neither side scoring a goal.

The US got out to a four goal lead in the third quarter, before Williams rose to the occasion again, scoring to get her side back to within three goals.

Williams scored her third goal of the game in the fourth quarter, but it wasn’t enough to help her side to a win, the Ord Minnett Aussie Stingers going down 5-9.

Ord Minnett Aussie Stingers Head Coach Paul Oberman said: “It was probably a case of missed opportunities and missed chances today.

“We tried to get ourselves back into the game in the last quarter, but unfortunately our shots hit either the wood work, or inside wood and didn’t go in.

“We now play China in two days time, it will be a very tough game.

“We’ll look at the footage from when we played them at the World Cup…they play a very unusual defence so we’ll look at how we need to attack against that.

“But also remembering that we need to still play defence as well, and can’t concede as many goals,” he said.

The Ord Minnett Aussie Stingers play China on Thursday 20 July at 2:30pm AEST. Watch live via 9Now.

AUSTRALIA: 1. PALM, Gabi; 2. SWADLING, Ruby; 3. ARMIT, Elle; 4. HALLIGAN, Bronte (1); 5. LEESON-SMITH, Bridget; 6. ANDREWS, Abby; 7. ANDREWS, Charlize; 8. RIDGE, Amy (1); 9. ARANCINI, Zoe; 10. WILLIAMS, Alice (3); 11. KEARNS, Tilly; 12. PONTRE, Sofie; 13. LONGMAN, Genevieve

GAME 1: AUSTRALIA 10 d FRANCE 8

The Ord Minnett Aussie Stingers defeated France 10-8 in their opening match of the World Aquatics Championships 2023.

Every aspect of the Australians’ game was tested by their opponents, but their defence proved too good in the end and the win will give players’ confidence as they prepare to face ultimate rivals, the USA, in their next match on Tuesday.  

In their match against France, scores were locked 3-3 at the end of the first quarter with both sides taking a conservative approach in the early moments of the Game. France was first to score but Australia immediately responded through the left arm of Abbie Andrews.

Tilly Kearns quickly made it 2-1 to Australia, before France evened the scores once again. A sleek backhand shot from Tenealle Fasala gave Australia a 3-2 advantage. 

Two saves in-goal from Gabi Palm kept France at bay late in the first quarter. Palm’s French counterpart was equally impressive and also denied the Aussies points early on.

Australia’s No.7 Charlize Andrews found the back of the net early in the second quarter, taking advantage of an exclusion to give Australia a 4-3 lead. Australia stretched its lead to 5-3 thanks to a goal from Alice Williams but the French again edged closer, showing persistence to narrow the score to 5-4 (to Aus). Fasala scored her second goal of the match while Amy Ridge scored her first to give Australia at 7-5 lead at the end of the first half.   

Both sides displayed their defence in a low-scoring third quarter that was won by the French 2-1. The quarter began with Bronte Halligan making it 8-5 for Australia but two goals to France throughout the third stanza gave Australia little breathing room with the score 8-7 with eight minutes to play.

Goal keepers of both nations blocked a host of shots in the fourth quarter and the score remained unchanged until Andrews scored her second of the match with a minute to play to make it 9-7 to Australia. Both teams traded goals in the final moments of the Game to make the final score 10-8 with Australia’s goal coming via captain Zoe Arancini.

Williams, who was named player of the match, said France has been a tough opponent.

“We have to give them a lot of credit for how they played,” Williams said.  

“It was a tough game. They gave us a really tough run but we did some really good team plays.

"Execution is something we can work on but we have so many opportunities, we just need to put them away,” she said.

Looking ahead to Tuesday, Williams said there is room for improvement.

"(We’re) happy to have a win on our first game, but now were looking forward to the next game.

“It’s definitely going to be a tough game against USA, they just won the World Cup. They’re looking strong however with all our preparation and especially how we played today, I think we can absolutely take it to them,” she said.

The Ord Minnett Aussie Stingers play USA on Tuesday 18 July at 6:30pm AEST. Watch live via 9Now.

AUSTRALIA: 1. PALM, Gabi; 2. CASEY, Pascalle; 3. ARMIT, Elle; 4. HALLIGAN, Bronte (1); 5. LEESON-SMITH, Bridget; 6. ANDREWS, Abby (2); 7. ANDREWS, Charlize (1); 8. RIDGE, Amy (1); 9. ARANCINI, Zoe (1); 10. WILLIAMS, Alice (1); 11. KEARNS, Tilly (1); 12. FASALA, Tenealle (2); 13. LONGMAN, Genevieve