WAIS water polo athletes Jessica Zimmerman and Genevieve Longman have been selected onto the Australian junior women’s national squad set to contest this year’s World Junior Championships.
The squad contains a mix of athletes with existing senior international experience and others with a zeal that suggests future senior representation is within their make up as the group prepares for the 2015 FINA World Junior Women’s Water Polo Championships in Merida, Mexico.
The road to the 2015 junior world championships commenced in December 2014, with coach Eddie Denis conducting a residential camp at the Australian Institute of Sport, the selection process concluding with a training camp at Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre last week.
In October 2014 water polo’s world governing body FINA introduced new rules for junior level water polo, the most significant of which was to shave each team of one field player to make it five field players, rather than six players in the water. As a result of these changes, Denis said he selected a team based on players who had best adapted to the increased tempo of the new game.
“We have been working hard on fitness, which is vital for the new format of the game, as is individual skills such as passing and shooting and made selections with this in mind,” Denis said.
“Throughout our residential camps, mini camps, the domestic National Water Polo League season and the 20 and Under National Championships, which was a critical selection event, we have been looking for players that perform consistently at a high level, not those that turn up for one out of five games.”
Included in the Australian junior team are Queenslanders Ellodie Ruffin, Tiana Anderson, Western Australian Institute of Sport’s Jess Zimmerman, Victorian Maddy Steere and NSW pair Pascalle Casey and Bronte Halligan, who all have experience in the Australian senior squad, with Denis saying that it isn’t uncommon for the majority of junior national teams to include players with senior international experience.
“Playing at a junior international level is very close to playing at a senior level now, each team will have three to four players who are part of senior squads and the majority of teams in Mexico will have players that contest both the junior and senior world championships in 2015,” he said.
“Our standard of play will have to rival that of senior national teams, and the players in our side that know what senior level water polo is like can definitely bring that mentality to our team.”
The Australian junior women’s team will next meet for a preparation camp in Sydney from August 1-3, before a travelling to the USA for further training and preparation tournaments from August 5-12.
Following their final preparations the team will travel to Merida, Mexico for the 2015 FINA World Junior Women’s Water Polo Championships from August 17-23, where they have been placed in a group with Italy, Canada and the Netherlands.
-WaterPoloAus
