WATER POLO
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NORTH West is on target for its best State CHS Boys Water Polo Championship finish in years after winning its final two round games at Albury yesterday.
They won both by only a goal, but it was enough to put the Sam Doust-managed side into the semi-finals.
They’ll match up against Hunter this morning after finishing the round stages third.
It’s been about a decade since they qualified for the semis that high.
The last two times they’ve reached the semis they’ve made it into fourth.
Their most recent appearance was back in 2010 and coincidently also against Hunter.
Hunter won on that occasion 10-1, but today should be a lot closer after North West only lost 5-4 when they met back on the first day.
“We’ve got a pretty good chance. The boys are pretty happy with themselves,” Doust said.
It was a “pretty tight game” with accuracy the main thing that let them down.
“If the boys keep playing like they are and playing as a team (they’re a chance).
“They’re getting up there and having opportunities, they’re just missing the goal,” Doust said.
Heading into yesterday’s games they needed to win one more to make sure of a semi-final spot.
They did that with a 5-4 win over North Coast.
“It was a physical and tough game,” Doust said.
“Ryan (Parker) had a good game in goals, did a lot of attacking keeping.”
He’s probably been the standout keeper at the carnival she said.
At the other end of the pool Nathan Pyne (Tamworth High) slotted a double, and Max Colby (Oxley), Laarn White (Farrer) and Sam Crelley (Tamworth High) a goal each.
Crelley and Colby have also both had strong carnivals.
They played the whole game both games, and were instrumental in them beating Riverina 6-5 and securing third, with Crelley bagging four goals and Colby adding the extras. “We were down 3-1 after the first quarter then 4-2 after the second,” Doust said.
“We got back to 4-all in the third and got up in the fourth.”
She said the score at half-time wasn’t really a reflection of how the game was.
“They got their goals away, we didn’t,” she said.
Making the semis is mission accomplished. Their aim was to go one better than last year.
Now they want to go better again.