Rosmini at the Water Polo Nationals
The April holidays saw the Premier Water Polo team head to Christchurch for the Div. 1 tournament, while the Snr B team remained in Auckland for Div. 2.
The Snr B team played a range of top teams from around the country, winning games against St. Paul's and Northcote College, allowing them to gain a respectable 14th place. Thanks to old boy coaches Zach Stewart and Will Catlin, along with manager Liz Markovina for a fantastic season.
Auckland league: 3rd place
North Island tournament: 7th place
Nationals tournament: 14th place
Meanwhile, the Premier team had a roller-coaster of a Nationals tournament where thrilling water polo was played by the Rosmini team. We beat Kristin 12-5 in our first game, enabling us to get into the top 8. From there, it was anyone’s tournament as many of the matches were close, well-fought and our team showed real resilience and what it means to play as a team. Unfortunately, we lost to Tauranga Boys 8-11, letting in a few goals in the final quarter. TBC eventually made the final along with SHC. Hamilton Boys High School were strong, eventually ending up bronze medalists and we went down 6-10 in our next game. This meant we were now playing for 5th position.
With foes, Rangitoto, although a close game, we lost 8-9, however an improvement from previous games of the season. We then drew with Westlake Boys in what was the ‘game of the tournament’. In the final minute of the 4th quarter, we scored three awesome goals to put them under pressure. We managed to draw 9-9 at the final whistle, after a nail biting 6 on 5 defence in the final few seconds of play. The Rosmini boys, led by captain Theo Johns, kept calm and we then moved into a penalty shoot out, the only one of the boy’s tournament.
Coming back from an Auckland season 9-1 loss to 2nd place getters WBHS, it was a tremendous effort from the boys to show resilience, grit and determination. It was 4-4 in the first round of penalties, keeping spectators on the edge of their seats. The final result was 14-15 to Westlake, but this game certainly provided the entertainment of the tournament and further cemented our team as the ‘one to watch’ next season. Our final game was an excellent win against AGS 10-5, further redeeming ourselves from a previous Auckland season loss.
It was a great Nationals for us, gaining 7th place overall - the best result since 2018. Thanks to old boy coaches James Catlin, Michael Slessor-White, and Managers Rachel Peak and Phil Lendich.
Photos @podium.photography / @joes_powerful_photos
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