Aaron Younger to captain the Aussie Sharks in Tokyo as one of four WA players selected

Captain Aaron Younger is joined on the team by bothers George and Andrew Ford and Tim Putt with more than a quarter of the 13-member team hailing from Western Australia.

Younger, considered one of the best players in the world returns for a third Olympic Games, after debuting at the London Games in 2012. 

Brothers Andrew and George are one of two pair of brothers on the team, with George returning for a second Games and Andrew making his debut.

After making his elite debut in 2017, Tim Putt has developed in to one of the most reliable players on the team with more than 70 caps to his name.

The Sharks have been drawn in pool B with three of the top four finishers from Rio 2016 in Serbia, Croatia and Montenegro, as well as 2019 World Championship silver medallists Spain, and Kazakhstan. They will open their campaign on 25 July against Montenegro.

Younger who recently claimed a third LEN Champions League trophy looks forward to leading the team at the Tokyo Games.

“It is an incredible moment for me, especially to be able to lead such a special group of guys,” Younger said. “The guys make my job as captain really easy, but to be leading this group that has been working together for so long means a lot to me.”

“We have spent the last four years together building for this moment, so to finally be able to go there is a great feeling. Everyone has really taken on a new energy, it should be a good experience for everyone.”

“For the team, the biggest thing is the results we have achieved together over the last four years. The results that we have achieved in this cycle will give us confidence going into the Games. We need to hit the ground running when we get to Tokyo and be ready from that first moment and start from where we finished off two years ago at the World Championships.”