Katie Robinson has been playing well for the Hunter Blue girls at the National U16s Championships in Brisbane. Photo: Grant Robertson 230912GRA05
THE Hunter Hurricanes and their Tamworth connections remain firmly in National U16 Club Water Polo Championship title contention in Brisbane, with the Blue boys and girls’ sides both reaching the play-offs.
They will be played today involving the top four from each of the four groups.
The semi-finals will then follow tomorrow and medal games on Sunday.
The Blue girls’ side, containing Tamworth’s Emily Grellman, Morgan Rowbottom and Katie Robinson and former Tamworth players Marlee Byrnes and Philippa Patterson, topped its group with six wins from its six round games.
The closest result it had was a 13-5 win over All Hallows A in its final pool match yesterday.
Earlier it defeated KFC Breakers 19-4.
Robinson and Rowbottom both contributed goals and even Grellman came out of goals to snag a goal, while Byrnes bagged three.
Yesterday’s wins followed wins over UNSW Black 17-4, Cronulla Black 20-1, in which Robinson scored a double, and Melbourne Collegians 18-1, after they had started their campaign with a 13-4 win over Ovens & Murray.
Byrnes was the star of both Tuesday’s games, netting five goals in each.
Rowbottom also made it onto the scoreboard in both.
Farquhar sisters Kate and Laura, and Kelcee Byrnes, and their Hunter Grey side haven’t fared as well.
They finished bottom of their group and without a win.
Their best results were an 8-6 loss to ACT Fins and 9-7 loss to Barracudas Cudas.
Both of those came on Wednesday and Byrnes and Kate Farquhar found the back of the net in both.
The Hurricanes boys’ Blue were playing their final round game last night.
Up until then, they were five from five and just ahead of their opponents last night, KFC Breakers, on goal difference by a goal.
Tamworth’s Nathan Pyne is playing with them and scored a good 5m goal in their earlier 23-4 win over Tasmania.
He’s scored in three of their five games, snaring a double in their 13-2 win over Melville Saints and a goal in their 18-2 win over the Adelaide Jets.
The news isn’t as good for Mitch Salter, Max Colby and Jack and Harry Mihell, with their Greys side missing the play-offs.
They will now play-off for positions after an 8-5 loss to the ACT Fins yesterday morning.
It was their worst game of the carnival so far and ended any hope of a play-off spot.
They needed the win after going down to Drummoyne Devils 13-3, Melbourne Collegians 8-5 and Cronulla Blue 9-5.