Live stream: Drummoyne Devils v Balmain Tigers, Australian Water Polo League Round 8

They survived a brutal Australian Water Polo League men’s encounter by the skin of their teeth, but the Drummoyne machine came unstuck in the women’s match. Catch up on the REPLAYS.

Drummoyne dramatically maintained their unbeaten start to the men’s Australian Water Polo League season after beating near neighbours Balmain 8-7 at Dawn Fraser Baths on Saturday.

But it wasn’t all good news for the Devils after their women’s team had their own unbeaten run unceremoniously halted by a rampant Tigers outfit. Nioka Thomas scored sevben goals in the 16-5 victory.

The men’s game was a classic tale of two halves as the Devils dominated the first two quarters before the Tigers hit back hard.

Drummoyne goalkeeper Laurence Barker showed off his quality between the posts in a rough, intense final quarter that featured seven exclusions and two red cards to Devils players Guillem Garcia Urzainqui and Leo Hurley.

Spanish star Garcia had earlier scored three goals in the first half as the Devils raced out to a 6-1 advantage.

And it could have been much worse for Balmain, who only went one for eight in first half power plays and were grateful for the visitors missing two penalties.

The Tigers did rally superbly after the break, scoring four goals in a row to close the gap to 6-5.

It took a piece of Tyler Martin magic to swing the momentum back to the Devils, but Harry Sanderson’s second goal early in the final quarter and another from Zach Mizzi levelled the scores with six minutes to play.

Tristan Glanznig edged the visitors ahead well over five minutes remaining but there were, surprisingly, no more goals and the Devils, despite a numerical disadvantage, held firm.

UTS Balmain Tigers v Drummoyne Devils (Women)

The women’s game was dominated by the goalscoring prowess of Balmain’s Nioka Thomas, Olivia Mitchell and Katie Dudley as well as Drummoyne’s Brooke McClean.

Thomas hit four while Dudley and Mitchell grabbed three each as the Tigers took the game 13-7.

With the three-quarter margin bouncing out to eight goals, the final scoreline could have been anything.

But two goals from the impressive McClean ensured the Devils not only won the quarter but also made sure they added some respectability.

HOW RESILIENT DEVILS MOVED ON FROM BOTTOM SIX LOW POINT

PREVIEW

Drummoyne Devils young gun Laurence Barker is tired of being a bridesmaid.

The Drummoyne club has suffered years of near misses in medal matches, but, according to the keeper, that ends in the Australian Water Polo League this season.

The Devils recent win in the Water Polo NSW Super League has brought the confidence within the squad to an all-time high, resulting in a four-game winning streak in the AWL.

The Devils will be determined to feed off that confidence as they clash with local rivals Balmain Tigers in the KommunityTV feature double-header.

The men’s and women’s Battle of the Bridge will be exclusively live streamed on KommunityTV from 3pm, Saturday.

The Drummoyne men have endured a frustrating run in the AWL, losing gold medal matches against UNSW Magpies in 2019 and 2022, as well as failing to take home bronze last year against ACU Cronulla.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE AWL SEASON

Drummoyne Devils goalkeeper Laurence Barker.

But Barker said the breakthrough win in the Super League had signalled a change in the club that they could get the job done in the big matches.

“Our confidence is so much higher with that Super League win and proving to ourselves that we can win at the highest level,” Barker said.

“I think that will help carry us to that AWL final, because we know we can do it.

“Obviously we’ve had a disappointing history in the AWL, but I think now we’re a lot more mature and a lot more confident in those big moments.

“You can definitely see that we’re a lot more calm in those big moments.”

Barker has spent the summer learning off Australian Sharks keeper Nic Porter after the 20-year-old was added to the national squad.

He is one of four Sharks squad members to pull on the red, white and black for Drummoyne this season including brothers Lachlan and Blake Edwards and new recruit Tristan Glanzing.

Barker joined the Australian Sharks national squad this year as an understudy to Olympic goalkeeper Nic Porter.

But Barker said one of the main differences for the team this year was the way it hadn’t focused on the top calibre players.

“I think our team has a new image,” he said. “We’re focusing on different things throughout the game and I think that’s definitely helping us.

“I feel like everyone is stepping up this year in responsibility and taking a larger role in the team, rather than relying on our star players.”

Training with the national team and playing in international tournaments has also helped Barker level up his game, but he said the excitement and the passion for the sport is his main motivator.

“I just love playing water polo, so getting all this extra training and games is just great,” Barker said.

“Training with the national team is a lot more intense and it broadens my horizons in what I can achieve with water polo.”

Originally published as Live stream: Drummoyne Devils v Balmain Tigers, Australian Water Polo League Round 8