WATER POLO LIVESTREAM: Round 5, semi-finals
Six huge games have been completed in Water Polo Queensland’s Premier League, as teams battled it out in the competitions semi-finals.
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Water Polo Queensland’s Premier League, livestreamed by www.couriermail.com.au, the Gold Coast Bulletin and affiliates, reaches the semi-final stage on Sunday at the Gold Coast Aquatic Centre.
Gold Coast Bulletin’s Nic Darveniza is live at the scene.
CARINA LEAGUES WARRIORS D. KAWANA
Carina Leagues Warriors fearsome strike duo of Anthony Martin and Reilly Townsend have booked their club’s passage into the Queensland Premier League Water Polo grand final.
The Australian representatives notched a hat-trick each to dismantle the Kawana defence 14-10 in the semi-final at Gold Coast Aquatics Centre.
More important was the timing of their goals; after starting the game on a 5-0 run Carina allowed Kawana to equalise at 8-all in the third quarter.
Enter Martin and Townsend, who produced five of their team’s next six goals to pull ahead and stamp their ticket for the Grand Final in two weeks’ time.
Former Australian captain Martin said his success in front of goal was largely due to others.
“Two of mine were from penalties so I can’t take all the credit,” he said.
“We just had to make sure in attack we were taking the right shots.
“We got bogged down in the second quarter where we got too static in attack.
“In the third and fourth quarters we got back in our rhythm.”
Townsend, on the opposite end of the international expeirnece scale with one cap, said there was no point in playing if you didn’t back yourself in front of goal.
“We were just really patient in attack… Not shooting too early, passing it around to find the right person and the shots just came to us,” he said.
“After they tied it up we just had to stay calm. Staying composed starts with defence.
“We had to get a few stops and we knew the goals would come.”
Kawana’s Liam Steele was similarly clinical in attack with four goals but his side couldn’t hang on as Martin and Townsend engineered Carina’s late explosion in front of goal.
NORTH BRISBANE POLO BEARS D. MERLO MERMAIDS
Former Olympian Jodie Stuhmeke has delivered the North Brisbane Polo Bears into the Queensland Premier League Water Polo Grand Final with a go-ahead goal in the final seconds of their semi-final with Merlo Mermaids.
The Polo Bears had trailed all match until fellow Olympian Bronwen Knox’s hat-trick goal tipped her side ahead 14-13 with two minutes to play.
The Mermaids equalised through their own hat-trick scorer in Kasey Dalziel to bring upon a grandstand finish.
A perfect pass across the face of the goal from Polo Bears standout Bridget Leeson-Smith found Stuhmeke charging ahead for the tap-in with 4.2 seconds remaining on the clock.
It was a finish no-one could have predicted after the Mermaids recorded a seven-goals to one run early in the match.
Two goalscoring streaks, the first sparked by a double to Knox and the second by four-time scorer Charlize Andrews, erased the deficit and set up the thrilling finale.
“That last goal was definitely a team goal,” Stuhmeke said.
“We didn’t start off so well. I tried not to look at the scoreboard but I knew we had it in us.
“We had a bit of a team talk at half-time to control the game and not worry about the scoreboard.
“We kept composed, kept working together and the goals eventually came.”
Stuhmeke was one of four Olympians to hit the pool for the Polo Bears, alongside Sydney 2000 gold medallists Naomi McCarthy (nee Castle) and Joanne Clarke (nee Fox) and current Olympian Knox.
Merlo Mermaid Alice Williams was a standout for her side in attack with five goals.
RIVER CITY D. GOLD COAST
River City has handed Gold Coast the Queensland Premier Water Polo wooden spoon in a nailbiting conclusion to season 2020.
The playoff for fifth and sixth threatened to blow out when River City hit a five-goal lead in the second quarter but Gold Coast fought back to tie the match in thrilling fashion and bring on a shoot-out.
Victor Bianco’s sixth goal of the match tied the game at 15-all with 90 seconds remaining before goalkeeper Flynn O’Neil saved two chances in the final minute to force the dramatic tiebreaker.
River City held its nerve to win the shoot-out, with four goals to Gold Coast’s three from five attempts each.
River City’s Tom Culleton scored four goals with a second quarter hat-trick helping his side pull out to a 9-5 lead at halftime.
BARRACUDAS D. NORTH BRISBANE POLO BEARS
Barracudas survived a thrilling late comeback to persevere over North Brisbane Polo Bears 9-11 in the final game of the Queensland Premier Water Polo regular season.
The Barracudas kicked clear to lead by three goals late in the third quarter but that margin was cut down to one goal with two minutes to play.
With the result hanging in the balance Barracudas came up with the match-winning play, scoring to create a two-goal buffer and ensure victory.
The match was an arm wrestle throughout, with the Barracudas only hitting the ascendency after half-time.
That three-goal margin proved enough to defend, though the closeness of the match demonstrated that the Barras and Polo Bears’ budding semi-final rematch later this afternoon will be tightly contested as well.
BARRACUDAS D. MERLO MERMAIDS
The Merlo Mermaids had no answers for the Great Wall of Gabi in a 12-5 defeat to the Barracudas in Round five of the Queensland Premier Water Polo competition.
Rising Australian star goalkeeper Gabi Palm proved her class as a shot-blocking extraordinaire with multiple athletic saves to ensure the Barracuda victory.
A lesser keeper might have conceded 15 goals as the Marmaids peppered the Barracuda net with shots but Palm held out all but the very finest of them.
Inspired by the defensive effort in the rear of the pool, the Barracudas barely broke a sweat as long passes into the attacking area were promptly dispatched into the back of the Mermaid net.
The Barracudas notched four goals in the early quarters and eight in the late.
The Mermaids were held to just one goal until late in the third quarter when a spectacular strike from long range into the top left corner brushed past the fingertips of Palm.
Emboldened by that score the Mermaids embarked on a streak of hot shooting that netted two further goals for the match.
Every goal had an answer from the Barracudas, who outscored the Mermaids 8-4 in the second half to lead 12-5 at full-time.
SUNSHINE COAST D. CARINA LEAGUES WARRIORS
Sunshine Coast showed off their full range of attacking firepower in a 13-5 obliteration of the Carina Leagues Warriors.
A six-goals to nil second quarter did the bulk of the damage as Sunshine Coast’s cannons boomed from long range.
Long distance goals rang in with regularity while speedy forwards often won the race for the ball when deflected, finishing with both power and a feather-touch as required.
The warning signs were there in the opening quarter as Sunshine Coast scored with ease twice to open proceedings.
The Warriors returned serve to enter the second quarter tied at 2-all until a dominant eight minutes from their northern rivals extinguished hopes of an even battle at 8-2.
The sides traded goals until full-time with Sunshine Coast extending their six-goal margin to eight in the final quarter.
EARLIER
Sydney Olympic gold medallist Naomi McCarthy said the Premier League had been exactly what the sport needed as the tournament enters an exciting new phase on Sunday.
The Premier League, being livestreamed by www.couriermail.com.au, the Gold Coast Bulletin and News’ affiliates, will reach an exciting new phase on Sunday at the Gold Coast Aquatic Centre.
After round 5 competition in the morning and early afternoon, the semi-final involving the women and men will be contested, with the winners qualifying for the grand final on November 22 at the Yeronga Pool.
Australian players like Bronwen Knox, Rhys Howden, Abby Andrews, Gabrielle Palm, Alice Williams, Nic Porter, past championships and the best of the Queensland Thunder and club talent were competing across six clubs.
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Comeback queen McCarthy’s has joined her Sydney Olympics gold medal teammate Jo Clark and their Athens 2004 Olympic teammate Jodie Stuhmcke in the North Brisbane Polo Bears line-up.
Triple Olympian Kate Gynther was also lured out of retirement to play for the Barracudas.
“This is what was needed, a premier competition for the boys and the girls to see a pathway through,’’ McCarthy said.
McCarthy said after junior competition, a pathway through to the seniors had been limited.
She said North Brisbane Polo Bears were fielding a “really nice mix of girls’’ featuring past players coming out of retirement, some existing veterans and youth.
McCarthy said the competition, featuring teams from the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and around Brisbane, had been a perfect environment in which to raise the next generation of players.
“That happened with me when I was playing (as a rookie),’’ she said.
“I always had older girls who were mentoring me and helping me as I was developing and it really helped my game,’’ she said.
“I have a couple of girls here who have a lot of potential. They are 16 coming through and I am sure they will look back on this and say they have really learnt a lot.’’
Tokyo Olympic Games training squad rookie Abby Andrews (Barracudas) said it was great playing with someone like Gynther again and playing against the likes of McCarthy, Clark and Stuhmcke.
“The Premier League has been awesome,’’ said Andrews, a Brisbane Girls Grammar School alumni.
“I had not played Barras for two or three years and if we did not have it, Kate would not be playing.
“So many of those girls from Polo Bears would not be playing
“And it is just so good to get all that old talent back in the pool and bring the best back.’’
A largely inexperience Gold Coast team was also lapping up the chance to play against past champions and Thunder representatives during the Premier League.
“We came into the competition without a lot of Australian or Olympic players,’’ said Gold Coast coach Emma Hill, citing the guidance of ex-Olympic goalie Kelsey Wakefield as invaluable.
“So what we are trying to do is develop our region.”Everyone who plays in the Gold Coast team is from the Gold Coast. So we are learning.
“It is a step up for us compared to the country titles.”We are looking at it as an opportunity to play against these Olympians and learn and develop our skill set.’’
“These girls love the opportunity to play in these competitions and we don’t get those many opportunities in the country.”So these girls are grabbing it with both hands.’’
LIVESTREAM SUNDAY
Round 5
Premier League Women
10am: Carina Leagues Warriors v Sunshine Coast
11.15am: Barracudas v Merlo Mermaids
12:30pm: Bears v North Brisbane Polo Bears
Semi-finals
Teams to finalised after round 5 competition
2.30pm:
3.45pm:
5pm:
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