Australian women's water polo team takes test series against Great Britain

Tuesday, February 28, 2012 

Bruce, Canberra — Australia's Stingers, the women's national water polo team, completed their five-game test series in Canberra, Australia winning all five matches against Great Britain. The test is part of preparations for the team's 2012 Summer Olympics appearance.

Moments during the of the first test series match
Image: Laura Hale.

Great Britain water polo players on the bench at AIS Aquatic Centre during the second series against Australia.
Image: Bidgee.

The third of a five game test series against the Great Britain women's national water polo team on 25 February 2012. Australia won 15–6. On the far left is Bronwen Knox, then Zoe Arancini, Melissa Rippon, Rowena Webster, Hannah Buckling.
Image: LauraHale.

An Australian lunges for the ball during the fourth test
Image: Laura Hale.

Melissa Rippon passes the ball in the fifth game
Image: Laura Hale.

With comfortable wins in all five matches, showing an advantage of at least six goals in each game, the test series was the first time Australia's women competed against Great Britain in six years. The series results have implications for the squad composition; of the seventeen players brought into the Australian training camp running this test series, only thirteen of them can expect an opportunity to travel to London to compete in the Olympics.

Australia dominated the series with precision passing from the team's goalkeepers who enabled the game to quickly move down the pool, and the ability of the team's goal scorers to get the ball on target. In contrast, through out the series, the UK lacked a quality long passing game and instead relied on short passes from the perimeter of play where they were faced with less one-on-one coverage. The last game of the series also saw several turn overs and poor shooting on the part of the UK, with many shots going above or to the side of the net, or the shot clock running out.

Australia won all of the games of the test series, with scores of 13–5 in the first test last Tuesday, 14–4 in the second test last Thursday, 15–6 in the third test on Saturday, 14–8 in the fourth test yesterday (Monday) and 14–3 in the last test match today. In the first match, the scorers for Australia were Ashleigh Southern with four goals, Rowie Webster and Bronwen Knox with three goals each, and Gemma Beadsworth, Melissa Rippon, and Holly Lincoln-Smith each contributing a goal. In the second test match, the scorers for Australia were Hannah Buckling and Rippon with three goals, Knox and Beadsworth with two goals each, and Kate Gynther, Zoe Arancini, and Glencora Ralph each contributing a goal. For the third test, Australia's goal scorers were Jane Moran, Webster, and Nicola Zagame with three goals each, Lincoln-Smith with two goals, and Beadsworth, Buckling, Rippon, and Sophie Smith with one goal apiece. In Australia's fourth test match, Gynther and Zagame scored three each, Southern and Ralph scored two goals apiece, and Webster, Smith, Lincoln-Smith, and Moran each scored a goal. In the last game, Southern and Ralph scored three goals, Webster and Zagame had two goals each, and Beadsworth, Lincoln-Smith, Knox, and Buckling each scored a goal.

Sources

• "Australia v Great Britain Test Series: Stingers wrap up series" — Australian Water Polo, February 27, 2012
• Jon Tuxworth. "Stinger survivors in the swim for third Olympics" — The Canberra Times, February 21, 2012