Aussie men’s youth water polo team top group, face Croatia in quarterfinal

The Australian Born 1998 men’s water polo team have emerged as a threat at the 2016 FINA World Men’s Youth Water Polo Championships in Podgorica, Montenegro after topping their group in the preliminary rounds.

Included in the team are five NSWIS players, including Chaz Poot, Charlie Negus, Lucas Mackaway, Keenan Marsden and Sam Nangle, who have helped the Aussies to four straight wins at the world championships so far.

The team now faces European powerhouse Croatia in the quarterfinal tonight (2am AEST).

In the opening days of the tournament the Aussies beat Spain 10-8, Japan 14-13, Egypt 16-5 and South Africa 15-9 to be the lead team in their group ahead of the knockout stages. While the results may surprise some, head coach Andre Kovalenko said the team has come this far courtesy of a strong training platform.

“Our training is solid and we have had some very competitive outcomes in our training games,” Kovalenko said.

“This is the first tournament the team has played internationally in 12 months, in the heat of the battle there is a different intensity and resolve required.”

The quarterfinal match up with Croatia will be the biggest test for the Aussie side, which suffered a 23-14 loss to the Europeans during a practice match prior to competition commencing in Montenegro.

Despite that result, Kovalenko was only focused on the positives after that game, pressing on the need for the team to show consistency.

“As we build our fitness and gamesmanship, I hope to see a more consistent performance across the whole game,” he expressed after the result.

Croatia comes into the game with four from five wins, their only loss a tight 15-13 tussle with Serbia.

A schedule, results and statistics can be found here.

(Image courtesy Water Polo Australia)