Another Mug for Pink Ladies
Last weekend saw 3 Blue Mountains Water Polo teams head to Wingham for the annual Manning Mug tournament – the Blueys Men, the Blue Ladies and the Pink Ladies.
Competition this year was a little tougher than usual in both mens and womens. The Blueys men played UNE, Easts and Drummoyne in the round games and went through undefeated, with a couple of big wins. This meant for the 3rd year in a row the boys were up against Wyong in the Grand Final. Watching the Wyong team play on Saturday, the Blueys boys were rightly confident that they could win the Mug this year, but a few extra Wyong players turning up to play the Grand Final on Sunday made the game tougher than expected. The Blueys put up a good fight, but didn’t quite put everything together when it counted and lost the game 5-3. Throughout the weekend Danny Armour was just brilliant in goals and Greg Malone and Pete Dennis were consistently strong on the field. The Blueys team were: Danny Armour, Ben Morgan, Greg Malone, Pete Dennis, Michael Malone, Matt Berrell, Matt Heyhoe, Bobby Lovatt, Chris Taylor, Chris Armour and Lachlan Cameron.
The Blue Ladies team played well together and scored some strong goals over the 2 day competition. Lorinda Gobbo was surprisingly strong in goals, Jen Coogan and Elissa Piper were stand out players on the field. They lost to Wyong and the Pink Ladies on Saturday, but had good wins against Manning Valley and UNE. The Blue Ladies were Jen Coogan, Elissa Piper, Lorinda Gobbo, Mikala McConnell, Stef Camden, Makayla Ballhause, Jess Finlay, Michelle Graham, Megan Russell, Julie Celeban and Mel Marsden.
The Pink Ladies started the comp up against the hardest team – Wyong and were expecting a tough match. The Pinkies played really well and won the game 7-2. They went on to beat the Blue Ladies, UNE and Manning Valley and then came up against Wyong again in the Grand Final. This match was much harder than the first one. The Blueys girls got a 3-0 lead early, but Wyong fought back and the Pinkies were only 1 goal in front for most of the remainder of the game. The final score was 7-5 – the Pink Ladies won another Mug. Congratulations to the team: Nicole Birrell, Tracy Taylor, Cheryl Simpson, Kerrie Malone, Jill Doyle, Sheila Langley, Kerry Martin, Kate Yabsley, Vickey Gorham and Christine Kendall. Well done to Vickey and Chrissy on their big goal count in the game against UNE.
Click here for ALL the action photos
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Blueys U20s face tough competition
Last weekend, Blue Mountains Water Polo entered a ladies team in the NSW Under 20s Championships held at Ryde pool. The standard of competition at this tournament is extremely high and the Blueys team used it as a learning experience as they played against some of the best junior players in NSW.
Games started on Saturday morning against a very fast Sydney Uni, who beat the Blueys 20 goals to 1. The Blueys defense picked up as the game went on, but Sydney Uni were just way to quick. Blueys goal scored by Erin Moodie.
The 2nd game of the weekend was against Drummoyne. Blue Mountains had a few good attacks in this game and got a few shots away, but were unfortunate not to put the ball in the back of the net more often. Connie Gorham was brilliant in goals this game, saving many powerful shots. Goals scored by Louise Moodie and Erin Moodie.
Game number 3 was another super quick one against Cronulla, who were also a lot bigger than our Blueys. Our girls were held, pulled and pushed around the pool, but kept their cool and managed to play well as a team. Though they still lost the game 15-1 – goals scored by Erin Moodie.
The last game of the day on Saturday against Balmain saw the Blueys girls play with a bare minimum of 7 players, so all the swimming and chasing up and back really wore them out. They went down to Balmain 14-1, goal scored by Bek Henderson.
Just one game to be played on Sunday, the play off for 8th and 9th position against Hunter. There was a lot of improvement in the girls extra man defense as well as their attack in this game. A strong contribution again from goalkeeper Connie Gorham stopped the score getting away from the Blueys girls. A 14-1 loss, Blueys goal scored by Lousie Moodie. A big thanks to Coach Matt Heyhoe and Manager Vickey Gorham for all their time and effort put in throughout the weekend. Congratulations to all the Blueys girls for finishing 9th in NSW and for putting in 100% effort and never giving up, no matter how tough it was.
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CONGRATULATIONS BLUEYS GIRLS - AUSSIE MASTERS CHAMPS
Last weekend, some of the more “senior” Blueys Ladies traveled to the Gold Coast to compete in the Australian and Pan Pacific Masters Championships.
The competition was held at Pizzey Park Sporting Complex over 3 days and there were 10 water polo teams in total competing in a number of different categories. The Blueys girls cruised through the tournament undefeated, beating teams including Queensland, Guam and Parramatta. Team work was great throughout the tournament with all players contributing to some huge wins (including a 17-5 win over the Queensland Ladies on Saturday). Well done Blueys – MASTERS GOLD MEDALISTS!
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Blueys team was: Cheryl Simpson, Leslie Storey, Robyn Ryan, Karla Carter, Sharon Vassallo, Nicole Ware, Tracy Taylor, Jill Doyle, Leanne Moss and Kerrie Malone |
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WINTER 2008 Competitions
The winter Water Polo season has finally come to an end, with 3 Blueys teams competing in Grand Finals last weekend.
(Click thumbnail to view image)
The Under 14s girls were undefeated through the season so went into their game as favourites. They played a strong Balmain outfit and had spectators on the edge of their seats throughout the game as the score went back and forward between the 2 teams. This Blueys team has a combination of experienced junior players and brand new girls, but they all came together on the day and played a wonderful team game of water polo. Courtney Vreeken and Erin Moodie were the key to the Blueys defence, making plenty of steals and pressing hard. Renay Vreeken and Nicole Moodie were fantastic in attack, both making plenty of breaks and giving good cross passes to score goals. Michaela Piper played the second half in goals and made some great saves at crucial moments. Blueys beat Balmain 6-4. Blueys goals scored by Erin Moodie 2, Renay Vreeken 2, Courtney Vreeken and Nicole Moodie. GOLD for the Under 14s.
The Under 16s game against UTS-Ryde, saw the Blueys girls start the game a little slow, but pick up their pace in the 2nd quarter to score a few good goals. The Ryde team certainly stayed in the game until the last quarter when the Blueys exerted some authority and took a convincing lead. Beth Salmon was fantastic for Blueys – continually driving and earning penalties for her team. Connie Gorham was strong in goals and the whole team performed well in defence. Blueys beat UTS-Ryde 9-5, goals scored by Bek Henderson 2, Jess Carroll 2, Erin Moodie 2, Beth Salmon, Courtney Vreeken and Taylor Leonard. GOLD for the Under 16s.
And the last game of the day was the L4 team against Drummoyne. This was always going to be a tough one, with the Drummoyne girls being the stand out team in this grade all season. Drummoyne got off to a good lead early on and managed to stay in front all game by scoring some strong centre forward goals. The Blueys girls tried hard, but took too many risks and made poor attacking decisions which ultimately cost them the win. Some great goalkeeping by Connie Gorham, particularly in the 2nd half, kept the Blueys girls in the game, but although the Blueys scored a few goals, they couldn’t quite fight their way back. A solid effort by all players, in particular Sharon Vassallo and Louise Moodie. Thanks to Beth Salmon and Bek Henderson for playing up this week to help us out. Blueys lost 7-4. Goals scored by Erin Moodie 2, Louise Moodie and Ally Simpson. SILVER for the L4 girls.
As for the rest of the Blueys teams, the L1/2 team finished their season in 5th place – a phenomenal effort for their first time in the highest grade. The L3 team also finished in 5th place, a result these girls should be really proud of considering their inconsistency with players this season. The Ladies 5th grade team finished 3rd, narrowly missing the chance to play in the Grand Final and the M4 team also just missed out on the Grand Final, also finishing in 3rd place. The M5 team finished in 7th place. A fantastic achievement for all teams this season, all players should be proud of their efforts.
GO BLUEYS!
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Pan Pac Games Selection
Blueys M5 player and Winmalee High student, Sam Ruttley was recently selected to represent NSW CHS at the upcoming Pan Pacific Games to be held in New Zealand in July. This is a true International prestigious sporting tournament with teams from America, Asia, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia competing. On completion of the Pan Pac games the team will remain in New Zealand for a 3 test series against the New Zealand national schools team. Competition for positions in the squad was fierce with over 60 applicants from all over NSW accepted for the final trial with only 11 field positions and 2 goal keeper positions on offer.
Making the team was a dream come true for Sam who set himself the goal a year ago to develop his skills and fitness to a level where he could be considered for this team with the chance to represent NSW. Congratulations and good luck Sam.
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Sam on the attack in a clash at the recent State Club Championships at Wagga Wagga. (Click thumbnail to view image) |
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CONGRATULATIONS to the BLUEYS PLAYERS selected for NSW State Squads
| Congratulations to Blueys Under 14s players Courtney Vreeken and Erin Moodie on their selection in the NSW Blues and Waratah Teams to compete at the East Coast Challenge from 03rd-06th July to be held in Melbourne. |
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CONGRATULATIONS - Jess Carroll
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Blueys U16s and L5 player Jess Carroll has been selected to represent the NSW CHS U15s team. Jess will travel to New Zealand in July to play in a week long tournament with the NSW team. Good Luck. (Click thumbnail to view image) |
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2007/08 Wed. Night Summer Season
Grand Finals ResultsJunior Champions : Chips
Runners Up : CrocsB Grade Champions : Titians
Runners Up : HonkersA Grade Champions : Team Tuckwell
Runners Up : "A" TeamClick on Team for photo or here for Match Reports
2008 Wed Night -All Grand Final Photos
BLUEYS M4 - 2008 Semi Finalists
From Back: Pete Dennis, Steve Winfield, Chris Armour, Lachlan Cameron, Ben Morgan, Greg Malone, Danny Armour, Bobby Lovatt and Michael MaloneThe Blueys Mens 4th grade team finished the summer season last night in 4th place after playing Cronulla at Ryde Pool. Cronulla started strong and were up 4-1 in no time at all. A strong shot from Foxy inspired our boys to start a fight back. The remainder of the game was close, with Cronulla having a slight lead throughout. Cronulla played a good tactical game and their experience in the pool allowed them to outplay the Blueys.
Blueys lost the game 9-7, but our boys played well and didn’t lose their cool once. Goalkeeper Danny Armour made some strong saves and field players Greg Malone, Ben Morgan and Pete Dennis were good all game.
Well Done boys – a great season.
BLUEYS Ladies Grand Final Results - Summer 2008
Blueys Women Water Polo teams competed in 3 Grand Finals last weekend at Ryde Pool – Ladies 5th grade, Ladies 4th grade and Ladies 3rd grade.
From Back: Robyn Ryan, Kristy Stanton, Leanne Moss, Sharon Vassallo, Kathleen Watson, Stacy Cook, Makayla Ballhause, Stef Camden, Kerrie Malone (Coach), Mel Marsden, Julie Celeban and Nicole Birrell (Coach)
From Back: Sam Anderson, Megan Sayles, Connie Gorham, Meaghan Legge, Louise Moodie, Alaine Watson, Stacy Cook (Coach), Ally Simpson, Tarni Hinton, Emily Gorham, Vickey Gorham, Ashley Western (Absent)
From Back: Nicole Ware, Jen Coogan, Eddie Vreeken (Coach) Lorinda Gobbo, Mikala McConnell, Alexis Byrne, Elissa Piper, Nicole Birrell, Kerrie Malone, Jill Doyle, Aleasha VreekenAll games were so close, with L4 and L5 going into extra time. The L4 girls played Macquarie University (who they have beaten 3 times this season) and Macquarie got out to a lead early on in the game with some accurate outside shooting – they were up 7-4 in the 3rd quarter. A great fight back from Blueys in the 3rd and 4th quarter saw the score hit 7 all just before full time. A 6 minute period of extra time – golden goal – was then to be played. Both teams had a couple of unsuccessful attacks, when Kerry Martin finally put away a brilliant top corner shot that the Mac Uni goalie had no chance of getting to. Blueys won the game 8-7. An unbelievable game by Kerry Martin saw her score 7 goals. Of course these goals could not have been scored without good passes and plenty of team work from the rest of the Blueys L4 team. Julie Celeban and Kristy Stanton always managed to get up the pool quickly in attack and the whole team defended well. Julie Celeban scored the Blueys eighth goal. What a brilliant game – well done Blueys.
The Ladies 5th grade team played against Drummoyne B (a team who went through the regular season undefeated). The Blueys girls were wonderful and put in such a huge effort. Again it was a good team game, but Vicky Gorham was really strong in goals and Louise Moodie and Alaine Watson must get a special mention for their hard work on the field. Louise worked really hard in centre forward and earnt a lot of kick outs for Blueys. The Blueys were in the lead 4-2 at the beginning of the 4th quarter, but a tough fight back from Drummoyne saw the game end in a 6 all draw. Extra time (golden goal) and the Drummoyne Centre Forward scored an almost unstoppable goal to take the win 7-6.
The final game for the day was the ladies 3rd grade game. Blueys were up against Drummoyne (who are made up mostly of old rivals St George). Well Drummoyne got of to a great start and just about blew the Blueys out of the pool, scoring a few great goals and a few easy ones. Drummoyne were up 5-1 with 8 seconds to go before half time, when Elissa Piper sat up at half way and shot a beautiful goal into the top corner, making the score 5-2. This inspired the Blueys girls to fight back and get the score at 5 all (with about 2 minutes to go). A great shot by Drummoyne in extra man took Drummoyne to a 6-5 win. The L3 team played a good game and should be very proud of their effort this season. All the girls played well in the Grand Final, in particular Jill Doyle, Aleasha Vreeken and awesome goalkeeper Nicole Birrell. Blueys goals scored by Aleasha Vreeken, Lorinda Gobbo, Jill Doyle, Kerrie Malone and Elissa Piper.
Well done to all three teams on a fantastic season of water polo – making to the Grand Final is a huge achievement and all players should be proud of their results.
Thanks Eddie for all your help and input.
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CONGRATULATIONS to the BLUEYS PLAYERS selected for NSW State Squads
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Blueys finish 1st and 2nd at Port Stephens Championships
Another successful trip away for Blue Mountains Water Polo. The Port Stephens Championships were held at Raymond Terrace in February with Blueys entering a Mens A Grade team as well as a Ladies team.
On Saturday, the Blueys men played 3 games, winning 2 and losing 1 – finishing in 2nd place. They played their Grand Final on Sunday afternoon against Central Newcastle and it was a fantastic game to watch. Newcastle got out to a 2-0 lead early in the game, but the Blueys fought back hard and the scores were close for the remainder of the game. A few missed opportunities cost Blueys the win, but overall – it was a fantastic performance, Blueys losing 7-6. A special mention to Goalkeeper Danny Armour and field players Jud Harrison and Greg Malone for consistently good performances in every game.
The Blueys ladies played 4 round games on Saturday and finished the day undefeated. Sunday morning saw a semi final against the local Raymond Terrace team, which the Blueys girls won by 5 goals. The grand final match was played against a fiery Parramatta and the Blueys team were keen to get ahead early on. Leading 6-1 at half time gave the Blueys the confidence to finish the game well. Winning a physical match 10-2, the Blueys girls should be proud of their efforts over the 2 days. Tracy Galea and Leslie Storey did some amazing things throughout the weekend.Click here for ALL the great Port Stephens Action photos
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BLUEYS BOYS FINISH 2ND AT WYONG CUP
In January each season, Wyong Water Polo club host the Wyong Cup and this year our Blueys boys again entered a team. The tournament consists of teams from the country and coastal areas as well as a few strong teams from the city comp. The Blueys boys played beyond their expectation and made it through to the semi finals.
Their semi was against Manly and after a tough match; the score was even at the end. The game went into extra time – golden goal. A fantastic goal scored by Ben Morgan put the Blueys through to the Grand Final against Woy Woy.
The Grand Final match was tough and although the Blueys guys played well, they were outclassed by Woy Woy and went down 9-4. Grand Final goals scored by Michael Malone 3 and Stephen Winfield.Congratulations to the guys for making the Grand Final and playing so well throughout the tournament.
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