Replay streams: Australian Youth Water Polo Championships 2022 day 2 (Australian Youth Championships)

Perth’s Melville Sharks may have been in lockdown longer than most but they are making up for it as the Australian Youth Water Polo Championships come alive. Relive all the day 2 action.

The Australian Youth Water Polo Championships, one of the nation’s biggest junior sporting events, is really heating up after two days of action.

The late withdrawal of a number of teams on day one and subsequent fixture reshuffle is a distant memory as some of the powerhouses emerge in competition.

One such team is the under-18 boys outfit Melville Sharks from Perth.

RELIVE ALL OF THE DAY TWO ACTION BELOW

They may have been locked up for longer than most because of the Covid pandemic, but 42 goals from their first two matches reveals their genuine title prospects.

One hundred and thirty-four teams involving 2000 competitors across the under 14, under 16 and under 18 age groups are competing.

News Corp will exclusively stream 51 matches across five days of the championships from the Brisbane Aquatic Centre.

The competition features the best emerging players from across the country, runs from April 14-18.

PLAY DAY 1 RIGHT HERE

U18 Boys: Hunter Hurricanes 13 d. Drummoyne Devils 9

The Hunter Hurricanes claimed the scalp of Drummoyne 13-9 as the steel city side rebounded from a slow start to claim victory in the boys 18s.

With Sam Bloomfield scoring five goals, and despite the best efforts of Drummoyne keeper Jack Dwyer, the Devils could not arrest the score marching in Hunter’s direction.

There was some great keeping on show, with Dwyer and Kobey Pitkin (Hunter) producing tremendous saves.

While Bloomfield finished things nicely, Hunter constructed play in the lead-up to many of his goals and it was a great team effort by the Hurricanes.

With the scores 6-all at halftime, Hunter scored first in the third quarter when O’Grady-Cousins knocked in a pass thrown by Mitchell McLeod from the wing.

O’Grady-Cousins then delivered a nice ball for Bloomfield to score, and soon after it was 10-7 and then 11-7 when Spencer Burdack scored two goals.

In the first quarter, three goals by Bloomfield washed away the deficit as Hunter Hurricanes recovered from a 5-2 deficit to level up 6-all by halftime.

Bloomfield added the polish, including one twisting effort and another clever goal to convert O’Grady-Cousins’ pass.

The left handed Burdack then converted for on the cusp of halftime and it was locked up 6-all.

Both teams traded goals early in the third quarter, with a Hunter goal by Taine Beavis maintaining his team’s rage.

U18 Boys: UQWPC Barras Purple 10 d. UNSW Wests 6

The UQWPC Barras’ finished with a gale blowing into their spinnaker, producing a five-goal last quarter burst en route to a 10-6 win against UNSW Wests.

It was 5-all entering the final seven minutes, but Barras cracked the game open with a performance that matched the urgency and intensity of their opening quarter effort.

For all the fury and ferocity of the clash, it was a soft, deft lob goal by Barras’ Dawson Bryant which got their side rolling to victory at the start of the last quarter.

Bryant’s goal, and another by Jack French following a lovely Jack Fodor cross, also aided Barras push to the finishing line (7-5).

Wests’ Harry Underhill did break the scoring sequence to make it 7-6, but a forceful thrust by French soon after from the driver position, and then Bryant’s second goal — this time from the right wing — eased Barras to victory.

Ultimately Wests will rue several missed opportunities in the third quarter in a match where there was little between the teams.

In the first quarter Barras slipped to a 3-nil advantage, with a right wing rocket goal by Will Valentine the highlight of the opening salvos.

The lead was as much due to Barras’ keeper Declan Brady than anyone, with the broad shoulder goalie three times repelling UNSW Wests’ raids.

But finally Thomas Rathbone got past both Brady and the Barra defenders to score two quick goals and it was 3-2 to Barras.

Anything Brady could do in goals for Barras, Rhys Williams could do for Wests as he produced two grand saves in the third quarter, the second of which would surely make the highlight reel.

He also produced a sensational save in the third quarter.

After Williams’ save, French (Barras) did manage to score after a nice pass by Marcus Moncur, but it was locked up again at 5-all soon after following a Matija Gacevic breakaway for Wests.

U18 Boys: SNB Breakers 12 d. Richmond Tigers 7

Semi-final day came early when the big boys clashed as SNB Breakers beat a revitalised Richmond Tigers 12-7.

It was a bash-up derby around the goals at either end of the pool as both team’s defended their goalkeeper with the gusto of a sudden death knockout match.

Breakers made the running early by getting out to a 4-1 first quarter advantage and Richmond were never able to make up their margin — albeit a slender one.

The Sydney northern beaches side at one stage got out to a 10-5 advantage in the last quarter, but something said in the pit of your stomach the contest was not over.

And sure as night follows day Richmond went bang-bang with back-to-back goals and all of the sudden the margin was 10-7.

But in a huge moment, the Richmond goalie Archie Dimer was fouled out, leaving two Breakers players with an open goal to score.

With three minutes to play, the air was out of the balloon and the Breakers bench knew they were home.

U18 Boys: Melville Sharks 22 d. Canberra/Honey Badgers 5

They were isolated from the rest of the world for longer than most during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, but the Perth-based Melville Sharks are now on display at the Australian Youth Water Polo Championships.

And what a display the 18 years boys side produced at Chandler with a bruising 22-5 victory over the Canberra/Honey Badgers.

This win, and the 20-4 victory over Richmond Tigers to start the day, means an aggregate 42 goals from two matches on day two of competition.

The Honey Badgers, tenacious in a loss to SNB Breakers earlier in the day, were up for the fight, but in the end the Sharks were fighting with swords and the Badges pocket knives.

Canberra, with a small catchment of talent to choose from compared to the vast Perth metropolitan, were never expected to win and did their best, even scoring the last goal of the match.

But they had come up against one of the competition’s ace sides.

The Sharks had eight different scorers across the first half - Luke McManus, Peter Bruce, Anthony Macri, Harrison Grattidge, Pat Dart, Damon Jervis, Charles Bailey, Joshua Douglas - and then a ninth when Charles Bailey scored early in the third quarter.

U18 Boys: Adelaide Jets 21 d. Polo Bears 7

The Adelaide Jets bounded to a 21-7 victory over Polo Bears after an overwhelming first half performance.

The Jets turned a narrow 4-3 margin into a matchwinning 13-4 advantage at the long break before further extending their lead into the second half.

It was some performance as the Jets revved their engines to full throttle.

Mitchell Barnett’s finishing flourish was there for all to see on his way to three first quarter goals, then Harrison Haynes, Jack Slaven, Mitchell Cox, Ben Taylor and Jack Hills got in on the action.

Polo Bears challenged them on the scoreboard early, very early, after Ermin Gugic twice scored and the fast emerging schoolboy Ethan Topp found his mark in the opening exchanges of the second quarter.

But after that they were swamped with an eight goal avalanche as the Adelaide players surged to halftime with momentum in their back.

U18 Boys: Sydney Uni Lions 22 d. UTS Balmain Tigers 7

The Sydney Uni Lions steam roller continued toward the finals with an emphatic 22-7 win over Sydney arch rivals UTS Balmain Tigers.

The Lions roared to a 7-2 first quarter advantage and then an 11-2 halftime lead before Tigers gained parity with their rivals.

It was a first half blitz by one of the competition heavyweights who significantly had nine different goal scorers in accumulating its winning margin.

That statistic highlighted the team’s multi-pronged threats.

Balmain did scratch out a toehold, scoring three times in the third quarter (Liam Murphy, Connor Egelton, Ben Lucas), and scored another three goals in the last quarter in what was a far more productive second half.

For the Lions Goldschmidt and Harrison Miller were constant threats in attack.

U18 Boys SNB Breakers 13 d. 6 Canberra/Honey Badgers

It took until four minutes from fulltime for SNB Breakers to crack open its match with the Canberra/Honey Badgers, but when they did it was a huge relief to the Breakers camp.

Breakers won the 18 years boys clash 13-6, having to wait until midway through the third quarter before hitting the front against their stubborn foe.

A deft lob goal by Kai Hatherell four minutes from fulltime opened up a four goal advantage and the match was won.

But it took some work and Breakers would agree the seven goal winning margin was misleading after the teams were locked 5-all at halftime and then 6-6 during the third quarter.

When Fry, from the driver position, scored late in the third quarter, it was the first time in the match the Breakers had hit the front.

A 7-6 lead then became 8-6 entering the last quarter after Breakers Hatherell also scored after driving forward next to the right post.

Last quarter goals by Fry and Hatherell then proceeded a flying finish to the match by Breakers.

Earlier, a three goal second quarter by Breakers had arrested Canberra’s early 4-2 advantage courtesy of goals by Zac Newman, Will Cook and Wil Griffiths.

Left hander Mitchell Rutherford seized his chance for Breakers, while Mack McInness fired in a rocket from the right wing and Kai Coetzee also scored.

U18 Boys Melville Sharks 20 d. Richmond Tigers 4

The Melville Sharks had a nice start to day 2 with a 20-4 win over Richmond Tigers.

Sharks led 7-1 early and then 10-3 at halftime before Patrick Dart’s fifth goal opened the third quarter scoring for Melville.

It was followed soon after by teammate Jack Piscioneri who won a penalty after a dramatic breakaway down the pool.

While the scoreline may not suggest it, Richmond rallied, working hard at both ends of the pool before the dam wall broke in the last quarter.

In the Chandler diving pool next door to main No.1 field, there was a tremendous battle between Sunshine Coast and Carina Leagues Warriors, won 8-7 by Warriors.

A five goal performance by Kennan Gallagher helped Warriors, with his fourth quarter goal enough to separate the teams.

For the Sunshine Coast, Zac Hutton scored a goal in each of the four quarters.

Originally published as Replay streams: Australian Youth Water Polo Championships 2022 day 2 (Australian Youth Championships)