Tim Cleland and Daniel Lawrence have led the Fremantle Mariners to a second consecutive National Water Polo League title after defeating the Victorian Tigers 11-9 in their gold medal match at the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre.
In what was a replay of last year’s final, Fremantle came out of the blocks firing leading 5-1 at quarter time thanks to three straight goals from WAIS scholarship holder Lawrence.
Victoria then reversed the tables in the second term scoring five goals themselves to reduce the margin to one at half time. Slovakian international Tomas Bruder scored two in that quarter, while Aussie Sharks captain Sam McGregor netted a crucial penalty late in the piece.
The two teams then exchanged goals for the remainder of the match as WAIS athlete Cleland asserted his dominance in both defence and attack.
Cleland’s four goals as well as fellow WAIS scholarship holder Jamie Beadsworth’s strong presence at centre forward allowed the Mariners to maintain their advantage right through each quarter.
Beadsworth, who missed out on the 2011 triumph due to injury, said the club’s seventh win was one of their greatest.
“It’s very good for the club to get back-to-back titles. We’ve had an inconsistent season, but like last year we put it together when it mattered and to get the win against a very tough team is great,” Beadsworth said.
“We’ve had our ongoing battles with Victoria for some time now, and since they beat us in the semi-final in 2010, we’ve managed to beat them in every finals game since.
“It was of course disappointing to miss out on the victory last year, but to come back this season and play my role within the team has been great and to be part of this win is amazing.”
The Victorian Tigers now have gold and two silvers in the previous three editions of the national league finals, while the Mariners have confirmed their position as the most successful club in the history of the competition.
-Water Polo Australia
