Live stream: Harry Sanderson and Tigers relishing first up Australian Water Polo League test against Sydney Uni

‘There’s a real connection between our AWL and our junior ranks.’ And that’s just part of the reason why Harry Sanderson loves Balmain so much. Catch the Tigers v Lions LIVE on Saturday.

As a junior player, and now a veteran of the Australian Water Polo League side, there is no one more dedicated to the UTS Balmain Tigers cause than Harry Sanderson.

After making his senior debut as a 15-year-old, Sanderson has never wavered in his support for his club.

“I’m pretty unapologetically biased that Balmain is one of the best clubs in the country and it really is the people that make the difference,” Sanderson said.

“There’s a real community feel at Balmain, it’s always been a community club and that’s something I think we do a little bit differently.”

WATCH THE TIGERS v LIONS DOUBLEHEADER LIVE STREAM HERE

Balmain Tigers are looking to start to new season with a win.

The Tigers kick off their AWL season on Saturday against local rivals Sydney Uni Lions in a massive double-header, alongside the women’s teams.

“There aren’t many better places in Australia to play water polo on a hot Saturday afternoon than Dawn Fraser Baths, especially against a rival,” said Sanderson.

All of the action is set to be streamed LIVE and EXCLUSIVE on KommunityTV on Saturday, with the men’s game at 3pm followed by the women at 4:15pm.

Balmain as a club has a strong grassroots foundation with multiple teams featuring in the recent Australian Youth Water Polo Championships.

“There’s a real connection at Balmain between our AWL and our junior ranks,” Sanderson said.

“The vast majority of our AWL players are junior coaches, a lot of them went to Brisbane for the Youth Championships in January.

“So it’s exciting to see those national league players coaching U12s or U14s and then having those same kids coming to watch their coaches play in the national league on the weekend, it really just builds the community.”

Sanderson said it’s also really important to be accessible as a sport, no matter the age or experience level.

“I know at least for Balmain, we want to create opportunities for all types of players whether it just be socially or competitively,” he said.

“I think that’s really key for building water polo moving forward, making sure it’s accessible from the grassroots all the way to elite representation.”

With the Paris Olympics just months away, Sanderson said it’s always really exciting for younger players to see national team stars playing at their local pool.

“Interest, obviously, picks up when it’s an Olympic year,” he said.

“Australia, historically, does really well and so more eyes are definitely on the sport and to have our national team players feature in the AWL throughout the season is pretty awesome for the sport and the community.”