Water Polo Junior School Year 5 A squad of 23 Year 5 boys trained and played for the Year 5 Blue and Red water polo teams. All boys improved their fitness, ball handling, swimming and team skills as the season progressed. For most boys, it was their first ever water polo season. To their credit, the boys listened well and were fast learners. Individual skill and teamwork improved each week resulting in an outstanding undefeated season for both teams. Oliver Robertson and James Burke were invaluable team members who both possessed excellent knowledge of the game and strong skills, which earned them the Most Outstanding Player medal for their respective teams. Freddie Smith and Lucas Connell, Best Team Players, not only improved their level of skill, but proved to be strong contributors in front of goals. Josh Jarick and Jorge Hourides demonstrated outstanding defensive skills and were prepared to play a negating role each week on the opposition’s best player. Luka Simic, Damien Paino, Jamie Draheim and Zach Bowen all proved to be determined competitors who worked tirelessly at either end of the pool. Matteo Palillo, Ethan Lyons, Tom Bailey and Samson Adams were solid contributors whether in attack or defence. Mitchell Kuzilny, Harry Llewellyn, Jonathan Pascuzzi, Max Berry and Jasper Findlay were consistent performers throughout the season. Ethan Gendala, Jarrad Thomson, Jackson Court and Lenny Ewers displayed further improvement in general ability and team play with each match they played. I would like to congratulate all the boys on the efforts and the sportsmanship they displayed. Dean Bryan and Stuart Thompson, Coaches
The Year 5 water polo team
Year 6
Middle School
Water polo in Year 6 continues to gain popularity, with more than 15 boys selecting it in Term 4. Unfortunately we were only able to fill one squad of 11 boys. All coaches made it clear at the start of the season that water polo required a lot of aerobic endurance, power and strength. The whole team tried hard to improve their skills at training throughout the season. This was particularly the case with the boys who had little or no knowledge of the game and week by week they had improved significantly. We were most fortunate to have Old Boy, Harrison Vulcan assist the team with coaching. Harrison was able to offer valuable advice on rules and tips of general play, and it was great to see the boys applying the skills they had learnt at training in their games. The boys learnt a lot from Harrison about water polo and the necessary skills they required to achieve personal and team success.
The Year 7A water polo team had a thrilling season, beating all competitors to finish the year undefeated. Throughout the season the boys showed their diverse range of skills with strong swimmers, experienced players and those new to the sport all putting in a valiant effort. With great skill and knowledge, the more experienced club players assisted in the development and success of the newer players, as well as the team in general. All boys showed great pride and determination in winning every game. It should also be noted that, due to the squad’s rigorous determination, all games were controlled by the Brighton Grammar side. Also, a special mention should be made to the boys who started the season in the B team and worked their way up, eventually having a significant impact on the team’s performance. This team was a great privilege to coach and the boys show great promise for BGS water polo in the years to come.
We played against Haileybury College, Melbourne Grammar (Grimwade House), Carey twice and we finished the season at home against Scotch College. The recipient of Best Player Award went to Brady Collins and Best Team Player Award went to Maxim Coste. Everyone who represented the Year 6 water polo team throughout the season should feel very proud. The boys showed a desire to improve their knowledge and skills and worked tirelessly to improve their performance. Well done boys! Darren Cook, Coach
The Year 7B season highlights would not be highlights without mentioning Jack Davies’ five-goal haul against Caulfield and Lukas Galanopoulos’ match-winning save in the same game. GRAMMARIAN 2015 191