Pan Pacific Masters Games 2024: Blake Edwards, John Fox headline star studded over-45 water polo win

Two of the biggest names in Australian water polo made a surprise cameo on the Gold Coast, as Paris co-captain Blake Edwards shed light on his Olympic future.

Australian Olympians John Fox and Blake Edwards won gold in the water polo over-45s at the Pan Pacific Masters Games at Gold Coast Aquatic Centre. Picture: Mitch Bourke.

With his Olympic future uncertain, Australian Sharks water polo co-captain Blake Edwards has won gold on the Gold Coast on Sunday, but not in the competition you might expect.

Edwards was part of a star-studded ‘Cowboys’ over-45s outfit, comprised largely of Melbourne Collegians players, that competed at the Pan Pacific Masters Games.

His participation surprised many given he was leading Australia past the might of the formidable Hungary, host nation France, and defending champions Serbia in Paris just months earlier.

“I thought it would be a great opportunity to come back to grassroots and play with a lot of former coaches and teammates from my time in Victoria after so many years at a high level,” Edwards said, revealing his older brother had coaxed him into competing.

“I was really happy I made the decision to come because it’s just been a really fun weekend.

The Cowboys team after winning the over-45s category at the 2024 Pac Pacific Masters Games on the Gold Coast. Picture: Supplied.

“It was great, the old stories that we shared over dinner and lunch, just having a bit of fun with your old teammates, sometimes you take for granted that time when you’re younger, to get to relive that was just an amazing experience.”

The Cowboys team, which also featured dual Olympian, dual Olympic head coach, and Water Polo Australia hall of fame inductee John Fox, went through the tournament undefeated and downed Watsons Bay White 12-5 in the final.

Despite being an over-45s competition, teams were permitted to field players aged 30 and over, paving the way for 32-year-old Edwards to take part.

Edwards will be 36 by the time the Los Angeles Olympics roll around, and he said he would spend the next 12 months evaluating whether he wanted to commit to a third Olympic Games.

Blake Edwards of Team Australia celebrates a goal in the Men's Preliminary Round at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Picture: Clive Rose/Getty Images.

“I’ve got a few injuries at the moment that I need to get fixed up, I’m in a rehab program trying to get strong again,” he said.

“I’ll take the next 12 months just to get my body right and then reassess things and if I decide to put my head down for another three years and aim towards the LA Olympics.”

He is battling some “wear and tear” in both his shoulders and hips.

“The next 12 months I’m just going to focus on getting my body healthy again,” Edwards added.

Fox, who is now based in Queensland, spent much of his club career playing against Collegians and his Masters teammates.

“I thought oh god I’ve changed my colours, these are all guys I used to play against,” Fox joked.

“The venue’s amazing, it’s been fantastic and the organisation’s been brilliant. It’s just been nice to be a part of.”

Australian water polo captain John Fox gets a pass away in the bronze medal playoff at the World Swimming championships in 1998.

Fox heads Australia’s national under-16 program and said that Australia’s successful Olympics, where the female Stingers won silver and the Sharks were a penalty shootout away from slaying another giant in the USA and reaching the semi finals, was paramount to the sports continued growth.

“We do a really good job promoting the athletes back from the Olympics,” Fox said.

“Getting the (Stingers) girls there showing their silver medals at the schools and training that we have, we got a few girls down to the state championships with their silver medals.

“We’ve got to build on that because that brings new kids in.”

Coach John Fox talks to his players during a break at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

He said the sport was gaining popularity in schools, particularly in Queensland.

“It’s really growing … the schools are the key, we’re getting a lot more water polo in the schools, if we can keep that going and keep the interest in the schools, and then spread it down to the southern states,” Fox said.

“The thing with this (under-16) age group, they’re going to be in their prime come 2032 so it’s a really important generation that we’ve got to try and bring through and continue to provide opportunities for.

“It’s exciting and it’s a really good group of kids.”

After such promising Paris campaigns for both the Sharks and Stingers, Fox was adamant that gold would be on the cards come the Brisbane Olympics.

“The women were so close, they made the gold medal game,” he said.

“If we keep building on the momentum absolutely we’re in really good shape.”

Originally published as Pan Pacific Masters Games 2024: Blake Edwards, John Fox headline star studded over-45 water polo win