This week eight Noosa Water Polo athletes participated in the Water Polo Australia Summer Slam event.
The Summer Slam will pit state against state in an electric event that teams have waited two years to attend.
Despite the looming threat of Covid restrictions, all states except Western Australia sent representatives to the tournament in Brisbane.
Noosa boys Tom Neal, Flynn Coolican and Rhys Coolican all played in the Under 18 division with the Qld Maroon team narrowly missing the bronze and NSW dominating the age group.
In the Under 16 division, Hamish Chart was drafted to play for the ACT, Harry Colley and Henry Simpson were selected in the Qld Gold team and top-of-age players Smith Connors and Augie Korac lined up with the QLD Maroons. Connors was given the honour of captaining Queensland and Korac finished as the division’s highest goal scorer, with their Maroons swimming away with a well-deserved silver medal against a slick NSW Blues team.
The tournament was also a Water Polo Australia NAGP selection event, with Connors and Korac named in the Australian Cadet Men’s Squad for 2022. Both Connors and Korac are in Brisbane for an intensive six-day training program with Australian coaches, trainers, nutritionists and sports experts.
The teens are hoping to impress and earn their spot in the Australian team that will travel to Greece in July for the World Championship Tour.
