03 Nov 2017
On Wednesday the 1st of November the boys 15's water polo team travelled to Albury to compete in the Riverina CHS Gala Day. The team consisted of Luke Cameron, Hayden Cooper, Rowan Duncan, Ethan Tough, Scott Hughes, Jack Jameison, Jaxon Lemon, Charlie McCaskie and Samuel Norton.
First Game against James Fallen High School
The boy's first game was against James Fallen High School. They began the match with a strong swim off by Ethan. The ball went through the hands of the entire team on the field, until it landed again in the arms of Ethan in front of goals. Unfortunately solid defense by the James Fallen goalkeeper kept the team goal-less. The boys showed excellent defense down the field by Luke, Jack, Sam and Scott, preventing James Fallen from scoring any easy shots against goal keeper Rowan. Hayden found himself in front of open goals several times in the first quarter and was rewarded by landing three in the back of the net. The score: 3-0 at quarter time.
Hayden volunteered to move back to goals in the second quarter. Ethan again won the swim off and they boys were in control of the game. Rowan continued our strong defense by remaining in the backline while the younger players Charlie, Jack and Jaxon pushed forwards in attack. In spite of a number attempts at goal they were unable to further their lead, until Jack found himself in open water with the ball. After several attempts he was able to find the back of the net, adding another goal to the tally. James Fallen answered back quickly though and scored with a fast-paced ball from the 5 meter line. The score: 4-1 at half time.
Ethan moved back into goals and Hayden completed the swim off. The boys were immediately thrown into defense by a very fast paced James Fallen attack. They continued to work as a team, putting pressure on in defense however, several strong long shots from half-way very quickly leveled the scores and a mistake in the attacking end gave James Fallen a penalty in front of goals. The score were level at three quarter time: 4-4.
The strongest team went back on in the last quarter. Ethan worked hard transitioning the ball from defense to attack, while Jack and Charlie supported Hayden's attacking effort rewarding him with another couple of goals. Luke stayed back as our main defender supporting goal keeper Rowan. Quick interchanges with Sam, Scott and Jaxon meant fresh legs in the water and fortunately kept them goal less in the last quarter. The final score: 6-4.
Second Game against Murray High School
The second game was against a very strong Murray High School. As the winners of last year's competition, Murray had some very strong swimmers and even stronger shots at goal. They quickly took control of the game and scored several quick goals while the West Wyalong boys struggled to structure their defense. After several interchanges and changes of tactics the boys managed to find their feet in the game, demonstrating excellent skills in the water and a strong team moral. They launched several attacks by passing the ball around and searching for an opening. Charlie, Sam, Jaxon and Hayden made some impressive efforts down the field and were unlucky not to find the back of the net.
Murray High continued to hammer our goal keepers Samuel, Hayden and Rowan throughout the game. Nevertheless the boys didn't quit and kept attacking. Hayden even managed to win a jump ball. Eventually our persistence was rewarded with a goal by Ethan late in the third quarter, despite having two defenders on him. The end score: Murray High 10 to West Wyalong 1.
All of the boys demonstrated excellent sportsmanship and should be congratulated on their efforts. Their confidence as water polo players improved drastically throughout the day and they are now all eagerly awaiting next year's competition. A big thank you goes to Miss Gardiner for coaching and for driving the bus.