16 Feb 2023
Our Open Boys Waterpolo team, comprising of students 9-12, many with no waterpolo experience, played 2 enthralling games under clear, blue skies at Gunnamatta Bay.
Our first game against Endeavour Sports High School was several of the team members first foray into playing waterpolo and after an extensive warm up and some self-assuring comments such as “How hard can it be?” or “We’ve got this”, it became apparent how taxing the game can be. Nevertheless, the boys powered on, all putting their strong understanding and experience of other sports to move the ball around and score a few goals. With the skills of Ty Holden and the might of Dylan Hughes driving the team, the rest played their roles in passing the ball up the pool and trying to stay out of contact with their opponents. After 4 torturous quarters and brilliant goal-keeping from Daniel Holt, we came out victors, allowing us to progress to the next game against Woolooware HS.
A topsy-turvy game against Woolooware ensued. For the entire game, both teams applied the pressure with Engadine taking the lead on several occasions through all our players moving into space and not getting caught in scrimmages. Our younger players stood up, showing further improvement on the first game and adding great support to our older and more experienced athletes. As the final whistle approached, Woolooware bridged the gap in the scores, bringing the result to a tie at the conclusion.
Leading into extra time, Golden Goal, we were without Ty Holden and had a team of tired humans. It wasn’t long before Woolooware’s marquee player fired a rocket into the goals, sealing the victory for his team. Not the final result we were hoping for, but a great example of school sport.
The best of Engadine sport was on show- students giving an unfamiliar sport a go, applying themselves with grit and determination to be part of our team and displaying fair play, respect for their opposition, resilience and self-control during several occasions where it would have been easy to react to the actions of the other team and be the lesser person.
Thank you to all the boys that played and to Mrs Smith for supporting them throughout the day and taking the brilliant photos.
A huge thank you to Ty Holden for his organisation leading into the day, setting up the equipment, refereeing, and scoring when he wasn’t playing- a truly mammoth effort that meant the day was enjoyed by all.
