Water Polo News
ROUND 2 | SATURDAY 22ND OCTOBER 2022
Last Saturday Trinity faced inner west rivals and Water Polo powerhouse, Newington College in the second official round of the CAS/GPS Competition. For prior context, Newington has won the Combined Schools Competition for the past five seasons it has been contested. Pleasingly, it was a highly successful day for Trinity Water Polo with Trinity victorious in six matches, including the 1st VII, 3rd VII, 16A, 16B, 14A and 14B teams. Particular mention to the 1st VII team who played tremendously well. Led admirably by Captain of 1st VII Water Polo, Lucas Young (12We), and well supported by Captain of Water Polo, Harper Stewart (12St), the experienced Trinity outfit were able to dominate the match. It will be another exciting Saturday of Water Polo against Knox Grammar School at Knox Pool this weekend. Please ensure that your son arrives at the time they have been told for their fixture. I wish all teams the best of luck as Trinity teams embark on this next challenge.
| Team | Opponent | Result | Score |
| 1STS | Newington | WIN | 17 – 7 |
| 2NDS | Newington | LOSS | 5 – 6 |
| 3RDS | Newington | WIN | 6 – 4 |
| 4THS | Newington | LOSS | 3 – 10 |
| 16A | Newington | WIN | 9 – 4 |
| 16B | Newington | WIN | 6 – 4 |
| 15A | Newington | LOSS | 0 – 20 |
| 15B | Newington | LOSS | 4 – 15 |
| 14A | Newington | WIN | 9 – 6 |
| 14B | Newington | WIN | 13 – 7 |
Seamus Rodden | Director of Water Polo
1ST VII | WIN 17-7
Saturday marked the 2nd round of the Combined GPS/CAS Water Polo championship. Trinity came up against a talented Newington College side to play out a fixture that has historically been hotly contested against a passionate Water Polo school with long term success. It was good to see Trinity 1st VII come away with a convincing win of 17-7, indicating just how competitive we are in the competition this year. Trinity was clinical in attack throughout the entirety of the game, which led to an abundance of goals. Newington showed glimpses of good attack, but Trinity’s defence proved too strong, limiting Newington to only 7 goals. Every member of the team played their individual role to the best of their ability, and it was this teamwork that ultimately proved to be vital in achieving victory. This win puts Trinity in a good position for the remainder of the season and in contention to bring home the GPS/CAS title.
Lucas Young | Captain of First VII
2ND VII | LOSS 5-6
Up against one of the premier Water Polo schools in the competition, Newington College, this was always going to be a difficult game for Trinity. It was made even more difficult with a Thursday training injury to Trinity’s main centre back, Sam Foung (12Sc) ruling him out for a number of games. It was a very close game for the entirety of the match with Newington scoring the first two goals to lead 2-1 at quarter time, and then 2-3 at half time. The third period saw Trinity bounce back with two great goals by Finn Ramanuskas (12Ke) bringing his total for the game to three and putting Trinity in the lead for the first time, leading 4-3. The final period Newington out scored Trinity 3-1 to give Newington the game, with a final score of 6-5. This was really disappointing as in the final period it was very fundamental errors that gave Newington three easy goals. Best for Trinity were Bailey Martin (11We) who was excellent at centre back, and when not at centre back, he was able to crash back on the centre forward stealing on many occasions. Also, well done to Hugh Crakanthorp (11Ta) who also played strongly at centre back and scored two great goals. Trinity’s goalkeeper, Jonathan Manikis (12La), had his best game for the last two seasons keeping Trinity in the game.
Ray Swinnerton | Coach
3RD VII | WIN 6-4
The 3rd VII Water Polo team have established themselves as a force to be reckoned with, defeating a strong Newington College 6-4 last Saturday. This was a hard earned victory with the Trinity side providing a strong press defence led by James Barnes-Ferguson (11Ke) and Harry Paraonage (12Ta), both at centre back positions. However, our counter-attacking allowed for continuous steals, predominantly made by Jonah De Groot (11Ar), who also made strong swims to generate such counter attacks. Sebastian Green (11Ta) showed his strength and speed constantly covering in defence and then swimming hard to generate attacking opportunities. Newington being a strong Water Polo school meant they were prepared in centre back, which made Xavier Alfonso’s (11We) performance more so impressive as he opened himself up and created goal scoring opportunities for himself. Mention must go to both goalkeepers Callum Robinson (11WJ) and Evan Tong (12Fo) for their tremendous saves which kept the team ahead in the scoreline for the whole gametime. The 3rds should be proud of their efforts and take this experience forward with future matches.
Oscar Jones | Coach
4TH VII | LOSS 3-10
On Saturday, the 4th VII faced a tough Newington College team, going down 10-3. Despite the score line, the Trinity team stayed competitive with two early goals from Jonathon Ucchino (11WH) in what was an impressive display of his shooting ability. William Brown (11Du) was outstanding in goals, making some impressive saves and organising the team in defence. Special mention must also go to Callum Cox (11St) who netted one goal, as well as James Boulougouris (12Sc) and Luke Raptis (11Ta) for their efforts in both counter attack and defence. The entire team is to be congratulated for their efforts this week.
Chris Artemi | Coach
16A | WON 9-4
The 16As played very well with a high defensive aggressiveness against Newington College last Saturday. All the boys contributed to win the match against Newington with the final result of 9-5. The team has been working hard on cardio training this season, and this is reaping rewards as we are better prepared physically against our opposition each week and is revealing an evolution of the players as a strong team. The best players this week included our goalkeeper, Matty Weston (10Ta) who made impressive saves in the nets; Taj Young (9We) with strong shooting; and spectacular goals from Lachlan Rathbone (10Ke). Defending well this week were Jaiden Sivapirabu (9Hi), Dylan Blythe (9La) and also our centre forward, Hudson Myliotis (9Yo).
Florin Bonca | Coach
16B | WON 6-4
The 16B Trinity team had a strong win against the Newington College, yet it was not a given result, they definitely had to earn the win. From a strong press defence led by Jacob Michail (10Hi) from centre back which helped stop the Newington counter attack, to our own strong counter attack where boys such as Tim Wang (10We) and Daniel Vilate-Gallagher (9Ke), were able to make their own respective mark on the game. However, the game was not just won by strong attack and defence but also by some critical saves by the goalkeepers Anthony Manikis (9La) and Tom Maloney (9Du). This was also aided by the constant pressure in defence produced by Tom Huber (10We) and Enrico Ciarroni (10WJ). The boys should be proud of their efforts taking down a strong Water Polo team like Newington, and this allows the teams to take this confidence into their future games.
Oscar Jones | Coach
15A | LOSS 0-20
Trinity were completely outclassed in all aspects of the game by a very strong Newington College team going down 0-20. All Trinity players tried hard but found it difficult to match the skill, speed and awareness of the Newington team, which comprised many players who play in club teams in the Sydney Metropolitan competition and so are far more experienced than the Trinity players. Once again Charlie Tuelon (9Ar), our goal keeper, did his best to keep the score as low as possible. Dylan Bell (9Hi) and Carlo Furlan (9Du) both played strongly and for the most part matched the stronger Newington players.
Ray Swinnerton | Coach
15B | LOSS 4-15
This week the 15Bs faced Newington College in a tough match. The Trinity boys started off with some difficulty coordinating their defence and attack. However, in the third quarter Calvin Doyle (8Ho) scored his second and third goals from some fast plays. The boys continued their improved communication in the final quarter, and Oliver Ware (8Yo) managed to score the final goal of our team. It was also the quarter where fewest goals were scored by the Newington boys thanks to great goalkeeping efforts from Mikias Williams (8Yo). This was also a testament to all the boys playing the final quarter of this tiring match as they continued to push themselves and swam well to support each other in attack and defence.
Nina Seeto | Coach
14A | WON 9-6
With Newington College, the 14As had a steely determination to win the game, especially during the first half of the game. While Newington had the mental strength, and three very good players in their side, Trinity was strong enough to hold their own game and win the match 9-6. Our best players included: Christian Di Giandomenico (8He) and Oliver Verone (8He) who worked their best throughout the game to contribute effectively to the winning result. Well done, to all players for their respective effort in the match.
Florin Bonca | Coach
14B | WON 13-7
Following last week’s draw, the 14B team regained their confidence and won against Newington College with a score of 13-7. Understanding their strengths and weaknesses, the boys played strategically, utilizing unconventional attacking plays to their advantage. Congratulations to the boys who contributed to the scorecard and everyone who assisted them in the process, whether that be with their defensive efforts or their speed. The goalkeepers must be commended as well as their ability to save numerous shots which would have resulted in a drastically different final score. The boys understand what needs to be improved for next week and beyond.
Matthew Robertson | Coach
