Water Polo Match Report
Firsts
Last Saturday’s game against Joeys marked the final game of the GPS Water Polo season for the Shore boys, for seven of whom, it would be their last game in the blue and white. Additionally, with premiership hopes on the line, and a vocal shore crowd quickly gathering, the pressure was at an all-time high. Previous matchups with Joeys this season had seen mixed results, and the boys knew they would have to overcome the strength and physicality of the Joeys’ side with swimming speed and tactical play to secure a win.
The Shore side rose to the occasion and was locked in from the minute they set foot in the RAI Grant centre, executing a focused warmup, and discussing some late tactical adjustments. The increased focus and drive of the boys was immediately apparent, beginning the game with a high intensity that had been lacking in previous games. Having experienced the offensive dominance of Zac Izzard and Harry Underhill in previous games, the Joeys’ side came out with a stifling ‘press’ defence designed to limit the offensive impact of these two players. However, Charlie Bowditch, in centre-forward capitalised on the opportunity this left him, proving far too strong for his Joeys counterpart and out-muscling his way to two powerful backhand goals. Despite heavy defensive pressure, a great shot from Zac Izzard saw him find the back of the net putting shore up 3-1. Although a late first quarter resurgence from the Joeys’ side saw them fight their way back into the game through some accurate shooting, ending the quarter tied 3-3.
The tied score did nothing to dissipate the intense atmosphere of the game, whilst a severe nosebleed saw Charlie Ashton temporarily sidelined, with Calvin Shortus and Jett Semmens filling the centre-back role admirably in his absence. The second quarter saw a defensive lockdown from the Shore side aided by another standout performance from Tom Serhan in the cage, pushing through a strained MCL so he could play his final game of school water polo and help secure the win. With 0 goals allowed, and plenty of turnovers forced, Shore was able to generate some quick offense through counterattacks, notably featuring two goals from Jett Semmens on the wing, as well as a third goal from Charlie Bowditch and second from Zac Izzard. After scoring four unanswered goals, Shore finished the first half with a sizeable lead, up 7-3.
A motivational half-time speech from Harry Underhill, saw him encourage the boys not to lose focus now that they were up, and to maintain the level of intensity that had put them in the lead. After such a dominant showing from Charlie Bowditch in the first half, the Joeys’ side once more reoriented their defence, opting for a zone defence to limit his effectiveness in the middle. As a result, Jett Semmens and Zac Izzard were both able to score their third goal of the game, yet the team failed to capitalise on several extra-man opportunities generated by Harry Underhill’s repeated drives, finishing the quarter up 9-5.
The Joeys’ side rebounded brilliantly in the 4th quarter scoring two quick goals to put themselves within striking distance of victory, now down just 9-7. To the crowd of students and parents, it appeared that Joeys might have stolen the momentum of the game, but the Shore side proved resilient, and driven by an intense desire to win it all, refused to let the game slip away from them. A fourth goal from Zac Izzard and a breakaway goal from Koby Smith saw the Shore 1sts re-establish their earlier lead, 11-7. After Koby Smith drew a penalty, captain Harry Underhill took the final shot of the game, successfully converting the penalty and giving Shore the victory 12-7, a fitting end to his six years of brilliant play and leadership in school water polo.
The victory over Joeys saw the Shore firsts walk away as joint premiers with Newington, the first water polo premiership in the School’s (admittedly rather short) history in the firsts division. The remarkable achievement was well recognised by the crowd, and is testament to the remarkable team that has developed in the water polo program over the past six years. Whilst for many of the year 12s, this final game marked a sad schooling milestone, this impressive premiership helped offset that with a sense of pride in what the boys have achieved this year.
C Ashton
Firsts Player
Top image credit: 1sts after the win against Joeys
15As
The final game for the 15s this season was an exciting goal-for-goal match against Joeys. Goalkeeper Derby Turner was outstanding, putting everything he learned this season to good use, saving numerous attempts from some strong Joeys players. The first quarter saw Lachie Hughes and Thomas Larcombe score a goal each, but we were down 3 – 2 at quarter time. In the 2nd quarter, Lachie scored again, balancing the scoreboard, and the boys managed to keep it that way until half time. Ashton Turner-Smith scored in the 3rd quarter, with another goal scored by Joeys – now 4 – 4! Finally, the last quarter came, with numerous shots and near misses made by both teams. In the final minute, Harry Clough scored a much-needed goal to put Shore up 5 – 4, and the boys brought home the win! Great season 15’s!
Ms Camden
15As Coach
Results:
Saturday 11 March 2023
| Team | Opponent | Result | Score | Goals |
| Firsts | Joeys | Win | 12-7 | J Semmens 3, K Smith, H Underhill, C Bowditch 3, Z Izzard 4 |
| Seconds | Joeys | Win | 8-5 | F Baxter 3, H Stiel, Z Warden 3, O Mezrani |
| Thirds | Joeys | Win | 13-3 | A Dowling 7, L Cathles 3, O Danks 3 |
| Fourths | Joeys | Loss | 9-11 | F Loxton, A Dowling 4, H Twyman, C Hawkins, O Danks 2 |
| 16As | Joeys | Win | 10-2 | C Kovacs 2, A Stock 3, L Ellis, T Larcombe 3, H Pollitt |
| 16Bs | Joeys | Win | 4-3 | D Lord, J Allen, J Pridmore, S Hassall |
| 15As | Joeys | Win | 5-4 | H Clough, L Hughes 2, T Larcombe, A Turner-Smith |
| 14As | Joeys | Win | 17-3 | C Semmens 2, J Jagger 2, L Larcombe, A Lawry 7, G Kennedy 2, T Milcz, H Stewart 2 |
| 14Bs | Joeys | Win | 9-3 | G Pritchard 4, K Austin 2, C Griffin, J Massey 2 |
| 13As | Joeys | Win | 10-0 | H Lord 3, J Gilligan, E Bruce, S Bull, H Frape 2, W Pellow, J Tighe |
| 13Bs | Reddam | Loss | 3-8 | C Couch 2, F MacIntosh |
Miss Z H Dowdell
MIC Water Polo
