Sienna Green (‘n gold) to ‘let it rip’ in Water Polo World Cup Final

When Sienna Green speaks about the challenges the Australian team face once the World Aquatics Water Polo World Cup Finals start at Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre this Wednesday, she punctuates her excitement with a sage point concerning the expectations that will accompany the Stingers into the pool.

“We’re not the underdogs anymore, we’ve had some good results,” she says, acknowledging where the Bec Rippon-coached Stingers squad stands in the sport’s pecking order since seizing a nationally celebrated silver medal at the 2024 Paris Games.

“Now [we’re] continuously notching up the bar and seeing how far we can take it; a little more stress [comes with that] because we know all the incredible things we can do as a team, but that’s just the Australian way – carefree and enjoying the game.”

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That carefree enjoyment, which proved to be a spectacular shock weapon for the Aussies in Paris, will be employed again when Green and her teammates take on powerhouses the USA, the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Hungary, Russia, and China. Adding to the occasion, they’ll compete in the same swimming pool Australia won its historic women’s water polo Olympic gold medal – the sport’s first – at the 2000 Sydney Games.

Green will be joined in the nation’s battle colours by fellow New South Wales Institute of Sport (NSWIS) scholarship holders Bronte Halligan (captain), Hayley Ballesty, Tayla Dawkins, Sienna Hearn, Dani Jackovich, Tilly Kearns, Alexie Lambert, and Genevieve Longman, while Laurence Barker and Tristan Glanznig will suit up for the the Aussie Sharks men’s team.

Rather than speak of being bogged down by the weight of expectation as the home team, the 21-year-old is thrilled the Stingers are playing in front of their family, loved ones, and the passionate green ‘n gold army of Aussie supporters

“I’m so excited to have a home crowd,” said Green, obviously delighted by the thought her family will only need to – on this occasion – fork out for the Sydney Harbour Bridge’s toll to cheer along her and the Stingers.

“I have never played an international match here but playing in the pool we train in every morning – around our family and friends – is going to be very exciting. I’m [also] so excited to have people who have never seen a water polo game up close and personal . . . especially at that level . . . to be able to see one, and to also give back to our community who has given us so much.”

Green, a 193cm tall force of power, talent and tenacity, has prepared for this moment since she was aged nine and followed her older  brother, Zac – who was an Australian U18 and U20 representative before heading to the USA – into water polo all because it merged her two sporting interests: swimming and basketball.

Since her first training session she has compiled an impressive resume which includes:

• Captaining the national U18 team;
• Winning the senior 2021 AWL title winner with University of Sydney Lions;
• Finishing the 2022 FINA World Women’s Youth Water Polo Championships in Serbia as the tournament’s highest goal scorer;
• Making her senior debut for the Stingers against Canada in 2022, aged just 17;
• Starring for University California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in the 2023 US college season with 39 goals in 29 matches;
• Celebrating the 2023 Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) All-American (Honourable Mention)
•  Making her presence felt at the 2024 world championships in Australia’s seven matches by marking the world’s best players;
•  Becoming Australia’s youngest female water player to ever compete at an Olympic Games at 19;
• Being presented with a prized Olympic silver medal;
•  Representing Stanford University, where she’s preparing for life after sport as an economics student.

Indeed, Green’s standing in the sport excited Stanford’s coach John Tanner so much the Aussie’s arrival to ‘The Farm’ last July as that of a player blessed with the quality, skills, temperament and ability that can enhance any squad.  

‘Sienna is poised, determined and skilful in all phases of the game, bringing a wealth of experience against the world’s best on the world’s biggest stage,” said Tanner, who has guided the Cardinal to 10 NCAA titles in his 28 seasons at the helm. “Sienna will be a fantastic fit with Stanford, Stanford Water Polo and the world-class women in our program.”

For her part Green described attending Stanford, which boasts among its alumni the likes of Noble Prize winner and author John Steinbeck, astronaut Eileen Collins, the first woman to pilot a space shuttle, Academy Award nominee Sigourney Weaver, Google founders Larry Page and  Sergey Brin, as well as tennis ace John McEnroe, was an honour because she insists the college ‘fosters an environment of excellence.’

Green was also quoted in the same media release announcing her arrival to the Cardinal – the colour of the college’s sporting uniform – saying she was determined to contribute to Stanford’s culture in and out of the pool. She expressed a deep gratitude for being presented with the rare opportunity to grow as a player, student and person while preparing herself to thrive long after college . . . and sport.

“My experience in America has taught me a lot; how to be an adult and [gain] a more international perspective on water polo,” Green told NSWIS Media. “They have a really good system there where you have good, hard training and get your degree at the same time . . . just learning from different coaches, and also having new teammates, different styles [have] improved my game that I could bring back here.”

While she undoubtedly revels in the rugged and frenetic nature of elite water polo, Green is as equally enthralled by the cut ‘n thrust of economics, a pursuit which is said to help make sense of the forces that shape everyday life.

“[Economics] is something I’ve always been drawn to, especially in high school,” she explained. “I just like the human aspect – the social aspect – and how it basically is our world. Obviously, I enjoy this classwork and studying, it’s a cool environment at Stanford.”

Four years after making her debut for the Stingers against Canada at the FINA Water Polo World League Intercontinental Cup – where Australia triumphed – and then competing in the world championships two years ago, Green revealed her standing approach to representing her nation remains to: ‘let it rip!’

“That was a huge moment for me, suiting up for my first world champs and going against different teams,” she recalled. “It was a culture shock, just the size and the strength and skill of the girls. I told myself, ‘I have nothing to lose’ and that I had to give it a good crack – especially in the Olympic year. It was a really cool experience to go in with no worries and let it rip.”

Green also delights in revealing how Rippon, who was the Head Coach of NSWIS’s women’s water polo program before being elevated to Australia’s just months before the Paris Games, wasted no time in building an espirit de corps that forged the Aussies’ serrated edge, perhaps it inspired the squad’s Every Kind of Strong call to action that was launched in Sydney last night.

“Obviously she’d been an assistant, but as [Australia’s] new Head Coach she built a system where everyone was important, everyone had their own role,” she noted. “And that gave me a lot of confidence going in and knowing what I needed to do . . . and then also knowing our Stingers style of play and how that helped each other.”

On the eve of yet another international campaign which has extra significance because of where it is being played, Green admits she’s still driven by the notion to simply ‘have a crack’ and ‘let it rip’ because that approach aligns so well with Rippon’s directive of embracing a carefree spirit and complete enjoyment. It’s a formula that has served Australia extremely well since her tenure began.

“I think going in again [thinking there’s] nothing to lose; give it our all,” Green said of the task of taking on the world in her backyard.

Daniel Lane, NSWIS