We’ll always have Paris, but Stingers have moved on: Halligan

Aussie Stingers skipper Bronte Halligan said while it will always be a source of great personal pride to know she was a member of the squad that shocked the world by seizing silver at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, she also realises it can’t be seen as the national women water polo team’s be all and end all.

Halligan, who’ll lead the Aussies in their opening World Aquatics Water Polo World Cup Finals match against Italy in Sydney this evening, said every Stinger is firmly focussed on succeeding in this tournament featuring powerhouses – USA, the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Hungary, Russia, and China – rather than reflecting on history, as delightful as the memory of Paris is.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by NSW Institute of Sport (@nswinstituteofsport)

“Paris was such an exciting moment for the Stingers,” Halligan told NSWIS Media with an unmistakeable pride. “It was just a feeling that was indescribable. It’s given us that momentum and energy moving into the next cycle, and we’re getting ready for LA.

“We, for sure, use that momentum . . . and we know it was a special piece. But this is a new group – and it’s an exciting group – and we just can’t wait to see what we can do in the water here in Sydney.”

Halligan, a two-time Olympian who was a member of the Ekipe Orizzonte club which won the Italian championship earlier this month, insisted all Australians have good reason to embrace their Stingers – a team that has never backed away from a challenge.

“Energetic, fun, exciting,” were three words Halligan summoned to describe the squad. “We’re tough and we’re hardworking; really vulnerable at times. But we come together and support each other which I think is most important.”

There are some members of the Stingers, such as Sienna Green, who have never played in front of a Sydney home crowd and Halligan, who studied psychology and disability studies at UCLA, said she’ll be drawing strength from the support in the stands rather than dwelling on such words as ‘pressure’ and ‘expectation’.

“It’s going to be exciting having a home crowd,” Halligan, a New South Wales Institute of Sport (NSWIS) scholarship holder, enthused.

“I think people say ‘is there extra pressure; is there extra stress?’ Is there expectation on you?’ But I just think it’s an added bonus to have your family and friends [in the crowd] is so special and exciting. They’re a big part of your journey as well when you’re an athlete.

“They help you get up at 4am for training; they drive you when you’re young and they’re always supporting you . . . always there for a phone call when you need it. They’re just as big a part as this journey as I am, and I think it’s important to have their support in the stands.”

As team skipper, Halligan said her view on leadership is to be a calming influence and to be ‘there’ for her teammates – including fellow NSWIS athletes Hayley Ballesty, Tayla Dawkins, Sienna Hearn, Dani Jackovich, Tilly Kearns, Alexie Lambert, and Genevieve Longman – and instilling an environment that allows the team to thrive.

“I just hope I bring a sense of calm to this team and I just let everyone be who they are, and let them lead in the best way possible”, she said. “If I need to step in and have a moment with the girls, I will. This team is so mature, they lead themselves – and I’m the lucky one that gets to be called ‘captain’.”

Meanwhile, Stingers coach Bec Rippon, said she was counting down the seconds until Australia’s campaign gets underway.

“I’m just so excited,” said Rippon. “This is my favourite part, games are what we prepare for and I love the energy and . . . I guess . . . the excitement and nerves that come with it. I can’t wait to get started.

“We have a nice mix of experience [in the Stingers] and younger, less experienced but exciting athletes for the future that are making their way in. I’m really keen to see how it all works out under the pressure of the international competition, but I’m really happy with the team that we’ve selected.”

And Rippon had a clear message for anyone who might be wondering how her team . . . our Aussie Stingers . . . will respond to the invariable challenging moments that come from taking on the world’s best.

“Absolutely, going to back ourselves every time,” she said.

Daniel Lane, NSWIS