Livestream of Delfina Water Polo Queensland Premier League finals live today (WPQ Premier League)
WATCH REPLAYS: All the finals’ day action replayed here, including the dramatic grand final wins by Carina Leagues Warriors (men) and North Brisbane Polo Bears (women).
Live Stream
Don't miss out on the headlines from Live Stream. Followed categories will be added to My News.
WATCH REPLAYS: All the finals’ day action replayed here, including the dramatic grand final wins by Carina Leagues Warriors (men) and North Brisbane Polo Bears (women).
SCROLL DOWN TO WATCH THE REPLAYS.
The www.couriermail.com.au, the Gold Coast Bulletin, Sunshine Coast Daily and News Corp affiliates will livestream the finals.
THE MATCHES
Women’s semi-finals: North Brisbane Polo Bears will play UQ Water Polo Club in the women’s final after a hard fought 12-6 win over Merlo Mermaids.
Pole Bears rose above their rivals 5-2 in the first quarter, with a super goal from four-time Olympian Bronwen Knox icing her team’s opening foray against Mermaids.
Alice Williams,Claudia Czerniawski, Bridget Leeson-Smith, Amelia Watt and Knox found the back of the net.
This was despite the brave and skilful efforts of Mermaids goalie Tori Kininmonth who repelled multi shots from Polo Bears.
Mermaids got on the board with an outstanding shot from Alice Campbell, and then rallied to reduce Polo Bears to 7-4.
Kasey Dalziel was the focal point, scoring three goals as Mermaids lifted.
Then came three successive goals to one of Polo Bears’ Australian players, Alice Williams, who was razor sharp on the left hand side of the pool.
Williams’ finishing for Polo Bears was the difference as Mermaids continued to challenge their more experienced rivals.
In the other semi-finals, Gold Coast dug deep after being shell shocked trailing 5-nil against UQ water polo club (previously Barras).
The Coast lost 10-3, but coach Emma Hill was mighty proud of the performance, with the defensive effort outstanding after being a “little bit shy” early.
“When then stuck to our guns in defence and also turned it around in attack in the second half,’’ Hill said.
“We are a regional club and we are trying to build on the club each year. And for the team to come into the finals this year is something we are really proud of.’’
RELATED LINKS
PALM, ANDREWS TAKE GAME UP A NOTCH AFTER OLYMPICS
PREMIER LEAGUE A BRIDGE TO THE FUTURE
Leth Lawrence and Caitlyn De Langer scored as the Coast girls showed plenty of steel.
UQ did produce a commanding first quarter performance to put them on the road to this afternoon’s grand final.
Mens semi-finals: On field No.1, the Carina Warriors and a young North Brisbane Polo Bears produced the semi-final of the day in a fantastic clash.
The old professional Anthony Martin scored two late goals and Warriors goalie Max Culleton two late saves as Carina Warriors prevailed 12-10.
They will now play UQ Water Polo Club in the men’s grand final.
North Brisbane Polo Bears hit the front early in a ripping game worthy of a final and drew level 9-all and then 10-all before Martin found the bulls-eye.
Warriors goalie Culleton also played his part in a match which could have gone either way.
Youth representative players Marcus Berehulak and Jack French scored for Polo Bears in the last quarter, but Jarod Cook’s goal for Warriors, and then Martin’s double got Carina home.
Earlier, Warriors found three first quarter goals - by the veteran Anthony Martin (twice) and Clan Mulcahy - after Fraser Duguid, James Kininmonth, Dylan McDonald and Will Valentine had scored for Polo Bears.
Warriors responded well to trailing 4-3 with Cooper Gosney, Will Downes, Daniel Hansen and Reilly Townsend scoring in the second quarter - and it was game on.
In the other game, UQ water polo club (previously Barras) had a sound win over the Kawana Wolves in an absorbing semi-final.
The big men went at it hammer and tongs, with UQ’s finishing superior across the match.
Goals by four-time Olympian Rhys Howden, Sam Lenarduzzi, Drew Gynther, David Martel and Gynther again gave UQ an advantage on the scoreboard early.
UQ gained the upper hand early, but never had it all their own way.
In the fifth-sixth play-offs, there was not a struck match between the women’s and men’s teams before Sunshine Coast and River City claimed victories.
The women’s clash between Sunshine Coast and HWLE Vikings saw Vikings finish with a wet sail and threaten to overrun their rivals.
Vikings pair Georgia Hickey and Olivia MacDonald both scored late doubles as Vikings’ storming finish ended two goals short of their rivals. Sunshine Coast won 12-10.
It was close at the start as well. It was 3-all at quarter time, although Sunny Coast wriggled their way out to a second quarter (7-4) advantage courtesy of goals from Nikki Cook, Karla Lowe, Jessica Lundgren and then Ashleigh Roberts on the cusp of halftime.
The improving Sunshine Coast side extended their advantage to 10-5 - Ashleigh Roberts (two), Nikki Cook and Amali Scott all scoring during the vital third quarter to set up their team’s win.
Then came Viking’s breath-taking finish.
Sunshine Coast captain Lillian Merlo said her side had come a long way in the tournament and it was nice to finish with a win.
“We pulled together as a team really well,’’ said Merlo, who added her squad did not have the chance to train as a group during the pre-season.
She said it was great pushing top teams “which we did not expect to do’’ and overall it was an excellent experience which saw the group grow.
“We have a big mix of experienced girls and younger girls who are trying to get into the elite stuff and hopefully this has helped them a lot and the scouts have seen them.’’
In the men’s play-off, River City claimed a 20-10 victory, but the match was closer than the scoreline indicated.
Early on River City inched their way to a 2-1 advantage over Bushrangers, then out to a 6-3 halftime break after a four goal, second quarter performance.
Luca Zollo, Brin Watson, Benjamin Myers and Peter Pavlides all scored for River City in that period.
The Bushrangers stayed within touching distance of their rivals, with Dylan and Rhys Coolican both claiming third quarter goals, but River City always seemed to be doing enough to find the winners post and the side finished the match with a wet sail.
MEDAL MATCHES
Bronze medal, women
Merlo Mermaids grabbed a podium finish with an outstanding 23-7 win over the Gold Coast.
Alice Campbell (Merlo Mermaids) had a booming start to the bronze medal match, winning the swim off to gain possession for her side from the opening wishing, then producing a grand scoring shot into the right hand corner of the goal.
It started a first quarter goal scoring avalanche as Mermaids raced to a 7-1 advantage, with the club’s most experienced player, Kasey Dalziel, scoring three goals around singles to Matilda Moore, Meg Hofstee, Lulu Elliott and Phoebe Fredericks.
Gold Coast had to be the first to score in the second quarter, but it was Kate Blew who found the mark for Mermaids, followed by Chelsea Johnson and it was 9-1.
Gold Coast did rally to score three goals in the second quarter which gave them something basis for a second half recovery.
Gemma Harangozo, Brittany Wakefield and Jenna Breetzke all scored to reduce Mermaids’ margin to 14-4.
But Campbell started the second half the way she did the first - winning possession for her side, and scoring a goal.
It was a nice finish to the tournament for the young Mermaids players to finish on the podium with a bronze medal.
Bronze medal, men
The North Brisbane Polo Bears claimed a rollicking victory 18-15 over a fast finishing Kawana Wolves in the bronze medal match.
An eight goal second quarter rocketed North Brisbane Polo Bears from 4-all to a 10-5 advantage, laying foundations for the win.
Kawana Wolves maintained a high level of intensity throughout, and when Polo Bears through they were coasting late, Wolves came late and hard from the back of the field to score eight late goals.
Polo Bears were up 15-7, holding on to win 18-15 after doing best work across the first three quarters, establishing enough of a lead.
Impressively Polo Bears had seven different scorers in the that crucial second quarter surge, with elite young bucks Will Valeninte, Jack French, Marcus Buchanan and Marcus Berehulak among the scorers.
The teams had gone toe-for-toe, with one team scoring and then the other as Kawana drew level 4-all courtesy of Tora Majoros scoring.
But North Brisbane Polo Bears went bang, bang, bang and bang to crack the match open.
However, despite North Brisbane’s advantage on the scoreboard, coach Vlad Fodor stressed to his young side that they needed to maintain pressure.
Kawana Wolves then traded goal early in the second half, with Majoros scoring again for Kawana and James Kininmonth for Polo Bears.
The flame flickered for Kawana when the team’s young gun Josh Eyles scored the opening goal of the fourth quarter, but North Brisbane were too good on the day.
GOLD MEDAL MATCHES, women
North Brisbane Polo Bears rose to the challenge to claim a stunning 9-6 victory over Olympic-laden UQ water polo club in a ripping grand final.
The women’s final, featuring four former Australian captains, was everything we thought it would be - close, high class and full of clutch moments.
Polo Bears won 9-6, with coach Naomi McCarthy leaping into the water to acclaim her team’s win.
It was the second successive year Polo Bears have beaten UQ Water Polo Club (previously Barras) in the Premier League final.
“Their goalkeeper (Gabi Palm) is obviously world class who is hard to get the ball past and we struggled with that in the first round,’’ said Polo Bears coach McCarthy.
“We did some work on how we were going to do that and we were much better.
“I was also happy with the way the team meshed together.
“We have a group of older girls who are being well supported by this group coming through.’’
She said the four week Premier League was ideal to build teamwork and relationships and her team had grown as the younger girls stepped up.
A world class game unfolded with North Brisbane Polo Bears establishing a hard earned 5-2 first half advantage, extending it to 7-4 entering the last quarter.
There was a twist when UQ’s Anna Lendarduzzi scored to make it 7-5, but the old and the new of Australian water polo - four-time Olympian Bronwen Knox and youngster Alice Williams - scored back-to-back and Polo Bears were almost home leading 9-5.
Amelia Hodgson’s goal for UQ then cut Polo Bears lead to three goals, but Polo Bears were home and host.
There was a golden goal moment in the third quarter when North Brisbane keeper Eve Gath saved a shot at one end of the field, only for the ball to be shifted downfield for her teammate Charlize Andrews to finish the movement.
Both teams had attacking flair left, right and centre, but the supremely coached outfits were largely able to negate each other.
But Polo Bears dented UQ five times in the first half, with the inform Alice Williams scoring three times.
UQ opened the scoring through Olympian Abby Andrews and lead 2-1 after Olympic squad member Tenealle Fasala went past Eve Gath’s out-stretched hands.
But Gath was in great touch, making two fantastic saves to prevent UQ goals.
Men’s grand final
Carina Leagues Warriors goalie Max Culleton was a hero as his team upset UQ Water Polo Club in a grand final classic.
Culleton saved three shots in the penalty shoot out as his team prevailed.
How ironic it was that the men’s grand final between was plunged into a penalty shoot out because in a dramatic, four quarter arm wrestle it was basically one big penalty shoot out as one team and then the other scored.
Four-time Olympian Rhys Howden of UQ had stepped up and scored what looked like the winning goal one minute from fulltime, with his penalty shot cannoning into the right hand top corner of the goals.
But Anthony Martin scored from the field just 16 seconds from time to level it up again 13-all and the game was plunged into a penalty shoot out.
Then came Culleton magnificent saves in goal for Carina.
Neither side could shrug the other off in a gruelling decider where goals were pure gold.
The Warriors threw the gauntlet down to UQ Water Polo Club in the first half, establishing a shock 4-2 first quarter lead and holding their rivals to 8-all by halftime.
It was the Anthony Martin (Warriors) and Mason Fettell (UQ) show in that period as the dynamic duo each scored three goals in the opening half.
UQ then hit the front 11-10 on the cusp of three quarter time after Drew Gynther scored, but a penalty goal by Warriors Joop Sassen locked it up yet again.
Fettell scored once more into the fourth quarter for UQ making it 12-11 and the match hung in the balance as the clock tick deep into the final five minutes.
With 1.26 minutes remain old pro Martin scored to level things up 12-all before Howden’s successful penalty goal.
Earlier, UQ Olympic champions Howden and Sean Boyd both scored for the favourites, UQ, but a double to Warriors Tyler Sinclair and goals to Reilly Townsend and Joop Sassen upset the apple cart..
THE PREVIEW
Some of the talent - like Merlo Mermaids schoolgirls Kate Blew, Chelsea Johnson and Tori Kininmonth, UQ Barras juniors Jack French, Matthew Bonsor, Jack Fodor, and Will Valentine (now with Polo Bears), Kawana’s Joshua Eyles and Amelia Watt (North Brisbane Polo Bears) - just smack you between the eyes, such as their talent.
They are the type of kids who could make it to the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games.
Then you have Sunshine Coast trio Costi Winter, Amali Scott and Lucy Wolfdenden who have grown as the competition has progressed.
Watching them come into their own is as important to this competition as seeing Olympians Abby Andrews and Gabi Palm (UQ Barras) ply their trade.
Sunshine Coast captain Lillian Merlo said Winter, Scott and Wolfdenden were thriving in the environment.
“Amali Scott is a little pocket rocket who is really coming into her own,’’ Merlo said.
“The first two games were a big step up for her.
“Lucy (Wolfdenden) is playing really well and she has the confidence of an 18-year-old, although she is only 16.
“It is great to see what they are doing because you know in a few years time they will be up there at this level, and of course if they want to keep going (toward Paris and LA Olympics).
North Brisbane Polo Bears coach Naomi McCarthy said the babies of the squad, Horatia Schlect, Claudia Czerniawski and Olivia Camilleri, were also gaining valuable experience.
And Polo Bears young veterans Sophie Milliken, Watt and Charlize Andrews - all Thunder players - would be pushing for Australian selection in the years ahead.
The Gold Coast women’s squad had taken great pleasure in watching the development of Paige Clifton.
“What Paige has been doing is working hard on her swimming and working hard at her club. She is really putting the effort in at training and you can tell,’’ said Gold Coast women’s coach Emma Hill.
But Hill said it was also great to see a team veteran like Schulte flourishing. “She is actually changing her game and stepping up more in attack this season. And she is always there to give advice,’’ Hill said.
2021 WPQ Delfina Premier League Draw
Round 1: October 17 – Played
Round 2: October 31 – Played
Round 3: November 14 - Played
FINALS: November 28: Valley Pool, Brisbane
Replay: 2021 Premier League Water Polo Qld - North Brisbane Polo Bears (white caps) v Merlo Mermaids
Replay: 2021 Premier League Water Polo Qld - North Brisbane Polo Bears (white caps) v Carina Leagues Warriors
Replay: 2021 Premier League Water Polo Qld - River City (white caps) v Bushrangers
Replay: 2021 Premier League Water Polo Qld - Merlo Mermaids v Gold Coast
Replay: 2021 Premier League Water Polo Qld – North Brisbane Polo Bears v Kawana Wolves
Replay: 2021 Premier League Water Polo Qld – UQ Barracudas v North Brisbane Polo Bears
Replay: 2021 Premier League Water Polo Qld – Carina Leagues Warriors v UQ Barracudas
TODAY’S SCHEDULE
Semi Finals, women
9am: North Brisbane Polo Bears (white caps) v Merlo Mermaids
9am: UQ Barras (white caps) v Gold Coast
Semi-finals, men
10.15am: North Brisbane Polo Bears (white caps) v Carina Leagues Warriors
10.15am: UQ Barras (white caps) v Kawana Wolves
Fifth-sixth play-off, men
11:30am: River City (white caps) v Bushrangers
Fifth-sixth playoff-, women
11.30am: Sunshine Coast (white caps) v HWLE Vikings
Bronze medal matches, women:
1.30pm: Merlo Mermaids (white caps) v Gold Coast
Bronze medal matches, men
2.45pm: North Brisbane Polo Bears (white caps) v Kawana Wolves
Gold medal matches, women
4pm: UQ Water Polo Club v North Brisbane Polo Bears
Gold medal matches, men
5.15pm: UQ Water Polo CLub v Carina Warriors
‘Enjoy the hype’: Why Queensland is embracing nationals pressure
An ultra-talented line-up and recent winning pedigree has Queensland primed to attack the Under-20 National Championships. Read the full women’s state-by-state preview.
REPLAYS: Queensland Schools Premier League Grand Finals
A crazy goal from halfway, a one touch, left-footed marvel and a save that has to be seen to be believed ... it’s been quite the day at the home of Wynnum Wolves. Catch the REPLAYS, read the match reports.