Volvo Cup wrap

Last week the Australian men’s water polo team, the Sharks, featuring nine NSWIS athletes, competed at the 2011 Volvo Cup in Hungary, finishing second at the tournament that included the hosts, Canada and Germany. See below for a wrap of the games.

Game one – Australia v Hungary

The first match of the tour started with Australian falling to the hosts and defending Olympic champions, Hungary, 4-8.

Despite having three debutants in the team, NSWIS athletes Mace Rapsey, Lachlan Hollis and Jeremy Davie, the Sharks performed strongly throughout the match and had a number of opportunities to level scores in the final term.

Errors in ball security cost the Sharks the chance to equalise after being down 4-6 at the three quarter break, with NSWIS goalkeeper Joel Dennerley doing his best to keep Australia in with a chance thanks to 15 crucial saves in goal.

Game two – Australia v Canada

After a tough loss in the first match, the Sharks came to life in the second match against Canada to record a 9-5 victory.

The tight encounter saw Australia lead 6-5 at three quarter time before scoring three unanswered goals in the final quarter, with Davie a particular highlight in attack.

Game three – Australia v Germany

The final match of the tournament saw NSWIS athlete Johnno Cotterill play his first match as captain of the Australian team, leading the Sharks to a 7-6 victory over Germany.

Australia seemed to be cruising at 7-2 in the third quarter before a flurry of goals brought the Germans back into the match. Goalkeeper Dennerley was once again outstanding in goals, saving 16 shots for the match, ensuring Australia was able to walk away with the win and second overall in the tournament.

Dennerley was awarded ‘Goalkeeper of Tournament’ honours for his outstanding performance.

The NSWIS athletes in the team were: Dennerley, Rapsey, Davie, Hollis, Cotterill, Carl Zvekan, AJ Roach, Chris Dyson and Tyler Martin.