CRONULLA continued their domination of State Water Polo Championships with a 5-2 win over Sydney University Black in yesterday’s NSW Under 14 Boys’ Water Polo State Championship grand final at Tamworth’s South and West War Memorial Pool, Scully Park.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The club has already won State Under 20 and 16 titles and added a third after a slowish start.
The Michael Poot-coached side was 1-nil down after the first quarter thanks to a Tom Mattefy goal and some brilliant saves from Tom Harris.
While Mattefy scored from a 5m (penalty shot), Harris saved two 5m’s in the first quarter and another in the second.
However Samuel Rose did equalise for Cronulla in the second quarter and then Callum Redrup gave the Sharks the lead with a goal early in the third quarter.
Antony Matrauglio equalised for Sydney Uni but no sooner than he had, Matthew Byrnes restored the one-goal Shark advantage.
Cronulla goalkeeper Hayden Molla, who played in the club’s Under 16 State Championship win, then made a brilliant save to deny Sydney Uni before his opposite, Harris, made another 5m save from Brock Moller.
However Moller wasn’t to be denied and finished the game strongly with two late goals to seal the win.
Poot, a regular visitor to Tamworth for the now discontinued Southgate Inn Water Polo Carnivals, was delighted.
“We have a good balance to this team,” he said.
“And we use all the players. So they were all pretty fresh for the grand final.”
He said Moller’s effort at centre forward was a highlight.
Former Tamworth and Australian Olympian Nathan Thomas picked Moller as a standout and deserving winner of the Player of the Grand Final.
Moller was also named in the Tournament Six along with teammatess Molla and Byrnes.
Tournament director David Whittaker said squads of 33 players would be selected from the boys’ and girls’ divisions at the State Under 14’s to represent NSW at the East Coast Challenge in July while all the clubs were open to enter in National Championships in Albury (girls) and the Gold Coast (boys) later in the year.
Seedings from the Tamworth State Championship will be vital for teams competing in those national titles.
Whittaker also applauded the Tamworth Water Polo Association Inc for their work in helping organise a State championships with 38 teams (20 boys and 18 girls) in such a fine manner.
