Aussies Abroad | 14 December

Various members of the Aussie Sharks and Aussie Stingers are currently plying their trade in overseas leagues as they look to gain valuable experiences ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.

WPA looks at how our Aussie athletes are currently tracking in their overseas competitions.

AUSSIE SHARKS

LEN EUROPEANS CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

The LEN Europeans Champions League has concluded its fourth round with Italy's Pro Recco (Group A) and Croatian's Jug Dubrovnik (Group B) on top of the ladder in the preliminary stage. To view more information on the competition, click here.

After four rounds in the LEN European Champions League, Pro Recco and Joe Kayes are looking like a very strong title contender currently holding an undefeated record.

Hungary’s FTC Telekom Budapest and Aaron Younger are ranked fourth in their group after dropping a couple of tough matches following a strong start.

Novocastrian Nathan Power and his team claimed their first LEN Europeans Champions League win after four rounds and will be looking to build on this momentum in their next clash.

Read more on Australian’s in the LEN European Champions League here.

LEN EURO CUP

Anthony Hyrsanthos took part in the LEN Euro Cup Quarter Finals on 8 December, however Vouliagmeni could not overcome CC Ortigia, going down 6-9. To view a full match breakdown click here.

HUNGARIAN MEN’S NATIONAL LEAGUE (MALE OB I)

Aussie Sharks captain Aaron Younger has competed in Hungary for several seasons, but he finds himself competing with FTC Telekom Budapest for the first time in the 2018/19 season.

LAST RESULT: FTC-Telekom 13 KSI Vízilabda Club 6
NEXT MATCH: PVSK-Mecsek Füszért vs FTC-Telekom – 12 January 2019

CROATIAN MEN’S NATIONAL LEAGUE

Aussie Sharks teammates Nathan Power (Jadran Split) and Tim Putt (Primorje) are both based in Croatia with their respective club side. 

ITALIAN MEN’S A1 CHAMPIONSHIPS

At the completion of nine rounds, a successful Pro Recco and Joe Kayes have only lost one match putting them in outright second in a competition of 11 teams.

LAST RESULT: Pro Recco 20 RN Florentia 6
NEXT MATCH: Savona vs Pro Recco – 16 December

ITALIAN MEN’S A2 CHAMPIONSHIPS

Nick Elphick is currently the league’s second highest goal scorer after three rounds. Scoring four goals in their second-round win over Reale Mutua Torino 81 Iren, the RN Sori import has hit the ground running. 

LAST RESULT: RN Sori 9 Brescia Waterpolo 6
NEXT MATCH: NC Civitavecchia vs RN Sori – 15 December

GREECE MEN’S NATIONAL LEAGUE (A1 ETHNIKI)

Australian goalkeeper Anthony Hyrsanthos has taken up a position in Greece side Vouliagmeni. Undefeated after eight rounds of competition with a 6-6 draw against Ano Flyfadas their toughest match, Hyrsanthos’s side is looking strong as they head into the back half of competition.

LAST RESULT: NO Chios 5 NO Vouliagmenis 11
NEXT MATCH: NO Vouliagmenis vs Hydraic – 15 December

SPANISH MEN’S NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS (LIGA PREMAAT)

At the conclusion of round nine, West Australian George Ford and his Spanish club side Mataro (Quadis) sit in fourth place with 13 regular matches left to play.

LAST RESULT: Barcelona 7 Mataro 5
NEXT MATCH: Mataro vs Barceloneta – 15 December

AUSSIE STINGERS

ITALIAN WOMEN’S A1 CHAMPIONSHIPS

Queenslander Elle Armit recently joined Italian Women’s A1 Championships league 10 team competition. Playing with Plebiscito Padova, this is not her first stint overseas having spent previous time in Italy and Spain. Armit and her teammates sit jointly at the of the ladder board after seven rounds.

LAST RESULT: Padova 18 Milan 6
NEXT MATCH: Roma vs Padova – 23 December

After first competing in Italy’s national league (Women’s A1 Championships) for Bologna, Jessica Zimmerman now caps up for Rapallo. In the current season, they are equal second in the competition on 16 points.

LAST RESULT: Rapallo 9 Ekipe Orizzonte 6
NEXT MATCH: Torre del Grifo vs Rapallo – 23 December

GREECE WOMEN’S NATIONAL LEAGUE (A1 ETHNIKI)

Aussie Stingers teammates, Sydney University teammates and now Olympiacos teammates in Greece, Keesja Gofers and Hannah Buckling are aiming to taste success with their new Greek team. Gofers and Buckling have had an immediate impact with the team from Piraeus have only dropped one match from six after the first phase of competition.

LAST RESULT: Olympiacos 25 NO Rethymnou 2

Playing for Greek club side Ethnikos (National Piraeus), Morgan Baxter’s side has lacked consistency in their first six group matches, claiming only one victory.

LAST RESULT: NO Vouliagmenis 11 National Piraeus 6

AMERICAN COLLEGE (NCAA)

In early November, the University of Michigan water polo team and Madeleine Steere earned seventh place at the USA Water Polo Collegiate Cup after finishing the exhibition tournament with two wins and three losses. Currently Madeleine and the team are completing a training block before their official season opener on 19 January at the at the UC Santa Barbara Invitational.

LAST RESULT: Michigan 13 Pacific 12
NEXT MATCH: University of California vs Michigan – 19 January

Aussie Stingers and UCLA student Bronte Halligan return to competition on 19 January with five matches across three days at the UC Santa Barbara Invitational, including a showdown with fellow Aussie Madeleine Steere on 21 January.

NEXT MATCH: California State University Northridge vs UCLA – 19 January