Four WAIS Athletes Selected in World Champ Squad
Australian men’s water polo coach Elvis Fatovic has announced a squad of 15 players for the Aussie Sharks’ FINA World Championship campaign in June and July.
Selected in the squad, are four scholarship holders from the Western Australian Institute of Sport, with Aaron Younger, Joel Swift, Daniel Lawrence and George Ford all listed in the current roster.
Headlining the squad are eight members of the Australian team that finished seventh at last year’s London Olympic Games including both goalkeepers, James Clark and Joel Dennerley, centre back Richie Campbell and drivers Rhys Howden, Billy Miller, Aidan Roach, Johnno Cotterill and Aaron Younger.
Also gaining selection in the squad are young guns Nathan Power, George Ford and Jarrod Gilchrist.
The Sharks will gather for their next training camp in Canberra from June 6-10, before meeting in Sydney on June 17 and 18 en route to embarking on their European Tour on June 19.
Hungarian-based Younger will make his first appearance at an Aussie Sharks camp under coach Fatovic during that time, and the Croatian mentor said he was looking forward to having a full squad at his disposal and was excited by the great mix of youth and experience in the team.
“Our team is made up of players with various experience combining the knowledge and experience of the Olympians with the enthusiasm of the younger players. It is a great chance for the younger players to find their place in our team,” Fatovic said.
“At the Canberra camp we will continue to improve our fitness and improve our technique and technical skills. For the first time we will be a complete team with Aaron Younger joining the squad after he finishes his stint in Hungary. This will allow us to adapt him into our new system.”
Fatovic was pleased with the effort of the entire squad at the recent camp in Sydney, but said there was plenty of improvement left in the side, including implementing their skill and strategy into game situations.
“I am satisfied with the players’ performance at camp. They are in better condition than they were at the first camp in Adelaide, but we still need them to continue to work hard in order to be fit for the world championships,” he said.
“However, it is impossible to improve your skills without any games, so it is important that our team has some practice matches against some of the best teams in the world.
“On June 19 we will fly to Europe and play two tournaments and several training games in preparation for the build up to the world championships.”
The Sharks will travel to Croatia, Slovakia, Germany, Serbia and Spain for their match practice before commencing their world championship campaign against Serbia on July 22. The final team of 13 will be announced before the July 8 cut off.
– Water Polo Australia
