BMWP News Archive (2007)

3 TEAMS IN GRAND FINALS AT THE MUG

The Manning Mug was held at Wingham Pool last weekend - we entered 3 local teams this year and again had all 3 teams play in Grand Finals.

The Pink Ladies bring home the Mug. Back: Jill Doyle, Tracy Galea, Barbara Ballhause, Cheryl Simpson, Christine Kendall, Kerry Martin Front: Kate Yabsley, Kerrie Malone, Nicole Birrell, Vickey Gorham, Nicole Ware	Blue Ladies - finished in 2nd place. The Blue Ladies are: Kathleen Watson, Jen Coogan, Michelle Graham, Ali Graham, Julie Celeban, Elissa Piper, Sharon Vassallo, Robyn Ryan, Lorinda Gobbo and Mikala McConnell.	Blueys Boys played fantastic, finishing in 2nd place. Back: Bob Lovatt, Danny Armour, Ben Morgan, Lachlan Cameron, Matt Heyhoe Front: Chris Armour, Michael Malone, Stephen Winfield, Greg Malone, Chris Taylor

(Click thumbnail to view image - - - or photos page for more)

The Blueys mens team went through their 4 round games against UNE, Easts, Manning Valley and Penrith undefeated and played Wyong in the Grand Final. Wyong are a fantastic team and have always beaten Blueys convincingly in the past. Our boys continue to improve each season and really gave it to the Wyong team this weekend. Wyong got out to a good start and were in front in the first half but the Blueys boys fought back with the scores at 3 all at three quarter time. Blueys ended up losing 4-3, but a couple of refereeing decisions did make a difference. The Blueys team deserved to win the game. The team was Danny Armour, Matt Heyhoe, Greg Malone, Stephen Winfield, Ben Morgan, Michael Malone, Lachlan Cameron, Chris Taylor, Bob Lovatt and Chris Armour. Grand Final goals scored by Ben Morgan, Chris Armour and Stephen Winfield. Greg Malone was strong in every game, defending and attacking consistently well and Danny Armour had some great saves in goals throughout the tournament.

The Blue Ladies team played well in their round games beating UNE and Manning Valley, and going down to the Pink Ladies. The Pink Ladies won all their round games against the Blue Ladies, Manning Valley and UNE. The Pink and Blue Ladies played the Grand Final on Sunday and the Blueys girls came out firing with a strong defense in the first quarter which caught the Pinkies off guard. It took a little while for the Pink Ladies to find some form in this game, but once they did, they took control of the game ended up winning 6-1. The Blue ladies were Kathleen Watson, Jen Coogan, Michelle Graham, Ali Graham, Julie Celeban, Elissa Piper, Sharon Vassallo, Robyn Ryan, Lorinda Gobbo and Mikala McConnell.

The Pink Ladies were Barbara Ballhause, Tracy Galea, Kerrie Malone, Cheryl Simpson, Jill Doyle, Nicole Birrell, Nicole Ware, Kate Yabsley, Christine Kendall, Vickey Gorham and Kerry Martin. Grand Final Goals scored by Kerrie Malone 3, Tracy Galea, Nicole Ware, Kerry Martin and Elissa Piper. Jen Coogan and Kathleen Watson were very strong for the Blue Ladies and Tracy Galea was great for the Pink Ladies. Congratulations to all teams on a wonderful achievement.

 

Wednesday Night Competition

Round 4 (21/11/07) - ''Lightning Night''
Decision made at the December monthly meeting to declare all matches 'drawn/no result' and not to award any points for this round.

NB. All results, goal scorers and match reports will be posted on this website weekly if and when they are received. All Team Managers/Captains are invited to email their match reports / stories / photos to Kerrie Malone (BMWP Publicity Officer) for posting on our website.

BLUEYS PLAYERS REPRESENT SYDNEY WEST
(player report submitted by Nicole Ware).

The NSW Combined High Schools Girls Water Polo Championships were held at the end of November in Alstonville.

Of the 11 girls selected to play in the Sydney West team – 10 of them are current Blueys players. The Blueys players were Captain Aleasha Vreeken, Vice Captain Alaine Watson, Ashley Western, Rebekah Henderson, Courtney Vreeken, Kristy Stanton, Jess Carroll, Larissa Moore, Erin Moodie, Louise Moodie. (the 11th player was Stephanie Polivka – an ex-Bluey).

(Click image to for larger photo - - - or photos page for more)

The four day tournament had some tough challenges for our girls against some strong NSW regions, especially Sydney East, Hunter and Sydney North. The Sydney West girls managed to come fifth overall (due to 2 draws which held them out of the semis). The team that won the tournament was Sydney East (they won Grand Final 11-2), but when they played Sydney West, the score was a much more respectable 4-1.
The team had no set goal keeper, the girls rotated in this role, but a special mention goes to Ashley Western who saved some really hard shots at goal throughout the competition. Rebekah Henderson and Courtney Vreeken defended well throughout the week. Kristy Stanton and Aleasha Vreeken (c) were tremendous in attack; Jess Carroll had some excellent steals as well as some excellent breaks up the pool which allowed her a shot or a cross-pass to a team mate to score a goal.
Larissa Moore’s “never give up” attitude saw her improve dramatically over the nine games played. Erin Moodie stepped up, not letting her age worry her against some of the older, more experienced players. Louise Moodie won many tough battles in centre forward and centre back and Alaine Watson (vc) demonstrated excellent team work and determination throughout the entire week.

Congratulations to the teams captain, Aleasha Vreeken who was chosen in the NSW CHS 1’s team to compete at Homebush in March next year at the All Schools Championships. (also to Steph Polivka who was selected in the NSW CHS 2’s)

A big thank you to Eddie Vreeken for all his hard work and dedication to coaching and training the girls throughout the year. Also thanks to Nicole Ware – Manager and Assistant Coach for all her efforts to organize such a great week away.

BLUEYS WIN 3 x GOLD AND 1 x SILVER IN 2007 WINTER GRAND FINALS

Sunday the 26th of August saw at hot day indoors at Ryde Aquatic Centre for the Ladies Winter Comp Water Polo Grand Finals.

The day began for Blueys mid afternoon with our Under 14s girls' team playing Cronulla. The Blueys girls gave their all and played a fantastic defensive game. So many steals were made from the Cronulla team; unfortunately we weren't able to capitalize on all our attacks. All our girls played exceptionally well - in particular Connie Gorham - who was amazing in goals making some brilliant saves during the game, Erin Moodie who was fantastic in both attack and defense and Jess Carroll who continued to make attacking breaks even when the defense was in her face. After a really strong performance, the Blueys girls lost the game 4-3, goals scored by Jess Carroll 2 and Erin Moodie 1.

A few hours later the Ladies 3rd grade team took to the pool. The played a fast and fit Drummoyne team. The Blueys girls played a magnificent team game - with each and every player contributing to the win. Nicole Birrell was fabulous in goals and Aleasha Vreeken sat strong in Centre Forward all game. Elissa Piper was stuck in centre back for most of the game and her defense was amazing, rarely allowing their centre forward to get a shot away (and when she did - Birrell saved it). The Blueys girls won 5-1. Goals scored by Lorinda Gobbo 2, Kerrie Malone, Jill Doyle and Nicole Ware.

Next came the Ladies 4th grade game. Up against an undefeated Macquarie Uni team, the game was always going to be tough. Stacy Andrews's defense on the highest goal scorer in 4th grade was brilliant, allowing very few shot attempts to come from Mac Uni's best player. Kathleen Watson made some really good saves in goals and Kerry Martin created some great attacking opportunities. The Blueys girls didn't quite pull it together during the game which led to a 4 all draw at full time. After a 3minute break, the game restarted with a Golden Goal 6 minute period. A couple of attacks went to each team, when Kristy Stanton made a great break up the pool. The defending Mac Uni player was excluded for a 30second period, which allowed Kristy a quick 1-2 pass with Kerry Martin and Kristy scored the winning goal 2 minutes into extra time. Blueys won 5-4, goals scored by Stacy Andrews 2, Robyn Ryan, Sharon Vassallo and Kristy Stanton.

It was a magnificent day for Blueys girls teams and all players should be extremely proud of themselves. A big thank you to Girls Club Coach Eddie Vreeken - who has been there every step of the way with these teams. Ed has given so much of his time to our club over the past couple of seasons and without his commitment to us, we wouldn't be so successful. Thanks Ed.

The Mens 4th grade Grand Final was held on Tuesday the 28th of August also at Ryde Pool. In their first ever City Comp Final, the Blueys boys came up against a very experienced SNB team. Both Blueys and SNB finished in equal first position, both only suffering one loss throughout the season. Our boys played a fantastic game taking the lead early in the first quarter and staying in front all game. They took control early in the last quarter and won the game 9-5. It was a brilliant team effort, with all the guys playing a smart, composed game. Danny Armour was amazing in goals and Greg Malone really stood out on the field, making some great steals and assisting in 4 of the goals scored - as well as scoring 1 of his own. Well done boys - goals scored by Ben Morgan 5, Michael Malone 2, Bob Lovatt and Greg Malone. The boys would like to thank Bobby Lovatt for coaching them to their Grand Final Win and for making their training sessions interesting right through the season.

All teams would like to thank our spectators for their invaluable support at all of our games. As a player, it makes a massive difference to look up into the grand stand and see a "sea of blue". The cheering is fantastic and inspires us all to keep performing well. There were many comments passed from the other teams about how intimidating our crowd was and what a great club spirit we have. GO BLUEYS!

Click here for Winter Comp photos or here for Grand Final photos

BREAKING NEWS!!!! 

L3 Summer Silver Medalists – now 2006/07 GOLD MEDALISTS

Last summer the Blueys L3 team played the Grand Final against old rivals St George. It was an exciting that game went down to the wire. The experienced St George team simply played a smarter game than the Blueys girls, resulting in a Blueys loss. The score was 5 all and with just 1min 40 remaining on the clock, St George scored the winning goal. Blueys lost 6-5.

Blue Mountains Water Polo has just been informed that St George have been disqualified for playing ineligible players (from a higher grade who had not qualified to play L3) in the Grand Final match and their Gold medals have been revoked.

The Blueys L3 team will be receiving their Gold Medals at some stage over the next couple of weeks. The Blueys Ladies will tell you that this is not how they wanted to win a gold medal, but perhaps if the rules had been adhered to on the day, the end result may have been different.

BLUEYS NSW REP PLAYERS – CONGRATULATIONS!

The East Coast Challenge held in Brisbane in early July 2007 was another positive experience for Blue Mountains Water Polo members.

Eddie Vreeken was again selected as the NSW Under 14’s A team (Blues) Coach. This team went through the tournament undefeated. They scored 110 goals over the four days and only had 10 goals scored against them – a brilliant achievement. This is the 2nd year in a row the team coached by Eddie has won the ECC undefeated.

Sue Polivka was selected as Manager of the NSW Under 14’s B team and Damian Vassallo was appointed as the NSW girls referee.

Stephanie Polivka and Courtney Jones represented their state in the NSW Waratahs (B team) and both players proved beyond doubt that they deserved their spot in the side. The Waratahs only lost 2 games all week and those games were against Eddies team – the NSW Blues. The 2 NSW teams played off in the Grand Final – The Blues winning 15-3. All 3 goals scored in the Grand Final for the Waratahs were scored by Steph Polivka. Steph scored 8 goals and Courtney scored 4 goals during the tournament. Eddie believes these two Blueys players were the best players in the B team and are to be congratulated on their strong effort and great team work throughout the tournament.

Damian also has to be congratulated for doing such a great job refereeing – he was marked by the Queensland referee assessor as being in the top 2 womens referees during the 4 days.

Also held in early July were the Trans Tasman Shield Series and the Garden City Classic in New Zealand. These NZ and Queensland tournaments were held at the same time, so while Eddie was in Queensland, the rest of his family were in New Zealand as Aleasha and Courtney Vreeken were selected to play in the NSW Combined High Schools Under 15’s side. This is the 2nd year that Aleasha has played for this team and she was appointed co-captain. At just 12 years old, it was Courtneys first year. A report by Terry Upton, the NSW CHS Coach, stated that “as a co-Captain of the team Aleasha gave an insight into her understanding of the game through her astute instruction to her team-mates before and during the games played and collaborated well with the other co-Captain - a valuable asset for any coach to have”.

Due to her excellent defensive skills and general team play Aleasha was awarded the “The Most Consistent Player of the Tour”.

Of Courtney he said ‘Courtney – the youngest member of the team, performed exceedingly well against girls up to three years older than herself in the Garden Classic. In fact, she was able to control the wing position and steal the ball on many occasions especially in the Tri-series competition. Stealing balls must be a Vreeken attribute. Her knowledge and focus at this level of the game is very commendable for one so young”.

Blue Mountains Water Polo is proud to have these 4 girls representing at such a high level and would like to congratulate them on their fantastic achievement.

 

Congratulations - Sam Ruttley

13 year old Blueys member, Sam Ruttley has achieved a lot in Water Polo this season.

Sam played for Blueys at the Under 14’s State Champs in Taree earlier this year and from his performance at that tournament he was selected to attend the NSW TAP (talented athletes program) camp at Narrabeen in April. At the TAP camp, the NSW Under 14’s squad is selected. Although missing out on final selection, the head coach was impressed with his performance in all sessions and has asked Sam to join the development squad in term 3.

2006/07 Wed. Night Summer Season

Grand Finals Results

Junior Champions : Topdogs
Runners Up : Marlins

B Grade Champions : Hammerhead
Runners Up : Supa Tools

A Grade Champions : Wahoos
Runners Up : Peyow Peyow

2006/07 Junior Champs - Topdogs.	2006/07 B Grade Champs - Hammerhead.	2006/07 A Grade - Wahoos.

Click image to for larger photo

NSW WATER POLO SILVER MEDALS to ALL 4 BLUEYS GIRLS TEAMS

Sunday was a big day for Blue Mountains Water Polo club. All 4 teams Blueys ladies teams contested their respective Grand Finals at Parramatta and Ryde pools. The club atmosphere was fantastic with all teams supporting each other all day.

GRAND FINALS - Reports (U14, U16, L3 & L4)

Blueys L3 Ladies are: Kathleen Watson, Kerrie Malone, Jill Doyle, Aleasha Vreeken, Elissa Piper, Lorinda Gobbo, Mikala McConnell, Leanne Moss and Nicole Ware.	Blueys L4 Ladies are: Jen Coogan, Robyn Ryan, Sharon Vassallo, Stephanie Camden, Michelle Graham, Makayla Ballhause, Mel Marsden, Sam Anderson, Julie Celeban, Jenny Dooley and Lesley Randall.

The day started at Parra with the L3 game. Blueys played old rivals St George and yet again, the game went down to the wire. The experienced St George team simply played a smarter game than the Blueys girls, resulting in a Blueys loss. The score was 5 all and with just 1min 40 remaining on the clock, St George scored the winning goal. Blueys goals scored by Mikala McConnell 2, Lorinda Gobbo 2 and Jill Doyle. A great game by Mikala McConnell in both attack (including a very strong backhand) and defence and Elissa Piper was again brilliant in defence all game. Well done to Kathleen Watson who made some good saves in goals.
Next, the L4 team played against their old rivals Cronulla. A tough game – Cronulla got out to an early lead, but the Blueys girls fought back well to keep the game close. A few bad passes really let the Blueys team down, but a great game was played by Michelle Graham and Jen Coogan in goals. Goals scored by Michelle Graham 2 and Stephanie Camden 2.

Blueys U14 Girls are:Stephanie Polivka, Courtney Vreeken, Jessica Carroll, Erin Moodie, Connie Gorham, Caitlin Berrell, Nicole Moodie, Erin Moodie and Renay Vreeken.	Blueys U16 Girls are: Beth Salmon, Kristy Stanton, Alaine Watson, Emily Gorham, Sam Thomas, Larissa Moore, Ashley Western, Bek Henderson, Aleasha Vreeken and Louise Moodie.

The Under 14’s played Balmain and their strength and determination throughout the game was unbelievable. Steph Polivka and Courtney Vreeken lead the Blueys girls around the pool, but all players stepped up and played some good water polo. Connie Gorham was great in goals, making some really good saves. Erin Moodie was amazing in defence, working really hard to shut down a big Balmain centre forward. The Blueys lost the game 9-4. Even in defeat the girls held their heads up high and rightly so. They all put their heart and soul into this game and we are all very proud of them. Goals scored by Courtney Vreeken 2 and Steph Polivka 2.
In the last Blueys grand final of the day, the Under 16’s played Sydney Northern Beaches. SNB got out to a good start in the 1st half and although all Blueys tried their best, there were 2 SNB players that could not be shut down. By half time, the Blueys girls were down 3-0. In the 2nd half, Steph Polivka came into the game and made a massive impact on the Blueys attack, earning a couple of kickouts and a 5m penalty as well as scoring a goal. Unfortunately the Blueys attack came too late and they lost the game 4-3. Well done to Kristy Stanton who played a brilliant game and saved many a goal from being scored with her fast cover defence. Beth Salmon was great in goals.
Even though all teams lost their games, every single player should be proud of their effort this season. To get 4 out of 4 teams into the grand finals is a huge achievement for our club.

A big, big thank you to Coach Eddie Vreeken (who lives and breathes water polo). Without your passion and dedication Ed, we would not be achieving such great things. We appreciate all your time and effort and patience (for the most part anyway…) with us this season.

Click here for Grand Final Action photos

COUNTRY CLUBS SUCCESS FOR BLUEYS TEAMS

Ladies B grade win SILVER , Mens B grade win SILVER

What a fantastic effort. This year we sent 3 teams to Country Club Champs held in the Shoalhaven on the Long Weekend in January –  LADIES A, LADIES B and MENS B. The teams were:
Ladies A - Nicole Birrell, Tracy Galea, Lorraine Walsh, Kerrie Malone, Jill Doyle, Mikala McConnell, Aleasha Vreeken, Nicole Ware and Lorinda Gobbo.
Ladies B - Kathleen Watson, Robyn Ryan, Leanne Moss, Julie Celeban, Elissa Piper, Michelle Graham, Mel Marsden, Jenny Coogan, Stephanie Camden and Makayla Ballhause.
Mens B - Danny Armour, Pete Dennis, Greg Malone, Stephen Winfield, Ben Morgan, Bobby Lovatt, Chris Taylor, Matt Heyhoe, Chris Armour, Lachlan Cameron and Eddie Vreeken.

The Mens team played 3 round games, their first against a newly formed Bowral side. Blueys won the game 19-1, with all players bar one scoring at least 1 goal. Next they played Easts who have a number of experienced players on their team – again Blueys won 11-5. The Saturday morning game against Lavington was not as hard as the Blueys guys expected – Blueys won 8-5. This took our boys to the semi final against Wagga. Although the Wagga team have some new players, their main player has recently returned from an Australian Under 20 trip overseas. The Blueys guys shut him down brilliantly and won the semi 7-2. The Grand Final was against Wyong (who the guys find themselves up against regularly) & although they played a strong game, they lost 10-7. This silver medal is a first for any Blueys mens team in a NSW Water Polo Competition. All the guys played good water polo throughout the weekend and their team work was evident in each and every game. A special mention to Goalkeeper Danny, Ben & Ed for consistently brilliant performances!!

The Ladies B team was also brilliant all weekend. They followed Coach Tracy’s directions to a T, which saw them beat Central Newcastle B, Harden (who had 2 National League players in their side), Shoalhaven and Lake Macquarie B. The only game they lost in the rounds was against Manning Valley. This put the Blueys girls into the semi against Harden. In a tight game that could’ve gone either way, the Blueys girls put in 100% effort and won the game by 2 goals. They then played against a very strong and experienced Manning Valley in the Grand Final and lost 9-2 - though the score doesn’t show how good the game actually was. Our girls made the MV team work hard for almost every goal they scored and they never, ever gave up. Another silver for Blue Mountains. Each and every player in the B team stepped up another level throughout the weekend and it’s almost impossible to pick anyone who stood out – but a special mention must go to Elissa and Jen for showing us exactly what they are capable of in the pool.

The less said about the Ladies A team the better. The girls did not play to their potential and lost 3 games which they really should have won. Tracy, Aleasha and Lozzie played well over the weekend. They played Central Newcastle in the semi final and lost 10-2. This meant the Ladies A team finished 4th.

Overall a fantastic result for Blueys. Thanks to Trac, Chez and Ed for their fantastic coaching over the weekend. And thanks to the parents, husbands and kids who were there to cheer on all teams. GO BLUEYS! ........more photos soon!

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