Australia men's national water polo team
| Nickname(s) | Sharks |
|---|---|
| Association | Australian Water Polo |
| Confederation | OSA (Oceania) |
| Head coach | Elvis Fatović |
| Asst coach | Paul Oberman |
| Captain | Rhys Howden |
| FINA code | AUS |
| Olympic Games | |
| Appearances | 13 (first in 1948) |
| Best result | 5th place, 1984, 1992 |
| World Championships | |
| Appearances | 15 (first in 1973) |
| Best result | 4th place, 1998 |
| World League | |
| Appearances | 6 (first in 2003) |
| Best result |
 2007, 2008 |
| World Cup | |
| Appearances | 6 (first in 1981) |
| Best result |
1993 |
| Commonwealth Championship | |
| Appearances | 2 (first in 2002) |
| Best result |
 (2006) |
The Australian national water polo team represents Australia in men's international water polo competitions and is controlled by Australian Water Polo Inc. The national men's team has the nickname of "The Sharks". It is currently organised into the Asia/Oceania regional group. The national team is currently sponsored by Qantas airlines, Turbo Water polo and Mikasa Sports.
History
Australia has competed internationally since the 1948 London Olympic Games, and has qualified for all subsequent Olympic tournaments except Atlanta in 1996, and although not achieving the success of European teams, has remained relatively competitive at international level since.
Australia did not achieve their first point in Olympic competition until they drew with Bulgaria in the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich.
The Australian team managed 5th place in both the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, and the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, the highest Olympic placing so far, and managed to finish 4th in the World Championships at home in Perth in 1998.
Australia's best international water polo success came in 1996, when the Sharks won the prestigious six nation Control Cup in Hungary, and followed it up with a bronze medal at an eight nation tournament in Italy in the same year. However, the early success of 1996 was soured when they failed to qualify for the Olympics for the first time.
A reinvigorated youthful team managed to finish second to Canada in an international tournament in England in 2002, and in 2003, they beat then world Champions Serbia 12–11 in a FINA Water Polo World League match in Hungary, and followed it up by beating Croatia 10–6 at the 2003 Water polo world championship in Barcelona, Spain.
Following the 2007 FINA World Championships John Fox took over as Head coach.
Tournament History
A red box around the year indicates tournaments played within Australia
Summer Olympics
| Olympics Games record | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | |||
 1900 |
Did not participate | ||||||||
 1904 | |||||||||
 1908 | |||||||||
 1912 | |||||||||
.svg.png){kind=small} 1920 | |||||||||
| 1924 | |||||||||
 1928 | |||||||||
| 1932 | |||||||||
.svg.png){kind=small} 1936 | |||||||||
| 1948 |
Group Stages | 17th | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |||
 1952 |
Group Stages | 17th | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |||
 1956 |
Group Stages | 9th | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | |||
 1960 |
Group Stages | 15th | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |||
 1964 |
Group Stages | 12th | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |||
 1968 |
Qualified but did not compete | ||||||||
 1972 |
Group Stages | 12th | 9 | 0 | 2 | 7 | |||
 1976 |
Group Stages | 11th | 8 | 1 | 1 | 6 | |||
 1980 |
Group Stages | 7th | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | |||
| 1984 |
Final Group Stages | 5th | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | |||
 1988 |
Group Stages | 8th | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | |||
 1992 |
Group Stages | 5th | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | |||
| 1996 |
Did not qualify | ||||||||
| 2000 |
Group Stages | 8th | 8 | 1 | 2 | 5 | |||
 2004 |
Group Stages | 9th | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | |||
 2008 |
Group Stages | 8th | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | |||
| 2012 |
Quarterfinals | 7th | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | |||
 2016 |
Not Qualified Yet | ||||||||
| Total | 0 Titles | 15/27 | 95 | 26 | 12 | 57 | |||
Honours
- Water polo at the Summer Olympics:
- Best finish: 5th 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games & 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games
- Control Cup:
- Best finish:
Gold Medal
- Best finish:
Current squad
The following is the Australian roster in the men's water polo tournament of the 2012 Summer Olympics.[1]
| № | Name | Pos. | Height | Weight | Date of birth | 2012 club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dennerley, JoelJoel Dennerley | GK | 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in) | 94 kg (207 lb) | 25 June 1987 | UNSW Wests Magpies |
| 2 | Campbell, RichieRichie Campbell | CB | 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) | 99 kg (218 lb) | 18 September 1987 | UNSW Wests Magpies |
| 3 | Cleland, TimTim Cleland | CB | 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) | 115 kg (254 lb) | 15 December 1984 | Fremantle Mariners |
| 4 | Cotterill, JohnnoJohnno Cotterill | D | 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) | 88 kg (194 lb) | 27 October 1987 | Panionios Water Polo Club |
| 5 | Younger, AaronAaron Younger | D | 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) | 100 kg (220 lb) | 25 September 1991 |  Szeged Beton |
| 6 | Beadsworth, JamieJamie Beadsworth | CF | 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) | 114 kg (251 lb) | 11 June 1985 | Fremantle Mariners |
| 7 | Roach, AidenAiden Roach | D | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | 88 kg (194 lb) | 7 September 1990 | Drummoyne Devils |
| 8 | McGregor, SamSam McGregor | D | 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) | 95 kg (209 lb) | 12 August 1984 | Victorian Tigers |
| 9 | Whalan, ThomasThomas Whalan | D | 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in) | 90 kg (198 lb) | 13 October 1980 | Sydney Uni Water Polo Club |
| 10 | Woods, GavinGavin Woods | CF | 1.99 m (6 ft 6 in) | 95 kg (209 lb) | 1 March 1978 | Balmain Tigers |
| 11 | Howden, RhysRhys Howden | D | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | 82 kg (181 lb) | 2 April 1987 | Brisbane Barracudas |
| 12 | Miller, BillyBilly Miller | D | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | 89 kg (196 lb) | 21 February 1988 | Queensland Breakers |
| 13 | Clark, JamesJames Clark | GK | 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) | 95 kg (209 lb) | 22 March 1991 | Balmain Water Polo Club |
Notable players
See also
References
- ↑ "Athlete Profiles >> Water Polo". Australian Olympic Committee. Retrieved 20 July 2012.
- ↑ "Sharks lying in wait for London attack". Australian Olympic Committee London 2012 News. 2 July 2012. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
External links
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