WAIS Athletes Selected for All Stars

A large group of WAIS water polo athletes have been selected in the men’s and women’s All Star teams for the coming North v South clashes.

With Western Australian athletes representing the South under the Water Polo All Star guidelines, the women’s team included six WAIS scholarship holders whilst the men’s team added a further four, with WAIS men’s water polo coach Paul Oberman, named coach of the South team.

The women’s South All Star team has been boosted by the return of dual Olympic medallist Gemma Beadsworth as she continues her return to water polo. Beadsworth is joined in the women’s squad, by fellow WAIS athletes; Glencora McGhie, Zoe Arancini, Lilian Hedges, Eliesha Browne and Jessica Zimmerman.

In Oberman’s men’s squad, WAIS athletes Aaron Younger, George Ford, Luke Pavillard and James Fannon will all serve under their Institute coach, with the quartet also named by Australian head coach Elvis Fatovich for a national training camp over Easter in Brisbane.

Fatovic said the camp was an ideal opportunity to test the physical condition of his players and to work on a few defensive systems ahead of the FINA World League and FINA World Cup later this year.

“This camp is the first one after the BHP Billiton Aquatic Super Series and we will use it to check the physical condition of our players and to improve certain segments in our defence and attack,” Fatovic said.

“We will try to implement new ideas that should be used in the next competition period.

National women’s head coach Greg McFadden said the All Stars concept was an ideal opportunity for younger members to put themselves in the frame for national selection.

“For many of these players this is an opportunity for them to press for future National team selection and be involved in the Aussie Stingers training camp in April,” McFadden said.

The All Star matches will be played on Sunday April 13.