The Aussie Sharks have taken out the three test match series against USA after a convincing 14-8 win in Brisbane, while after breaking a 69-game winning streak, the Aussie Stingers went down to the visitors in the decider.
With both sides having won a test match apiece, the winner-takes-all match once again started out as a close contest with the scores 6-6 at half time.
There was plenty of heat in the pool with the physical contest seeing the lead change at multiple points throughout.
The Aussies headed into the final period with a one-point advantage and kicked into a new gear to score five unanswered goals and close out the match take the test series in their last international game on home soil before the Olympics.
It’s a boost for the Australians just under 200 days out from the 2020 Olympic Games, with Captain Aaron Younger pleased with how his team has used this Series as a building block towards Tokyo.
“After the last game (Thursday) we went back to the drawing board and made sure we were getting out the tactics and game plan as we wanted,” said Younger.
“The boys were a lot more focused today on what we needed to do and it went in our favour.
“We've been working on our extra man, especially over the last two days since the last game where we were really poor in our extra man. So in the two days since then we've been focusing on making the moves a lot more crisp and pulling the defenders out of position a bit more,” he said.
Nathan Power was thrilled to come home from Croatia to play with his Aussie teammates in front of a strong crowd.
“It feels really good… I mean playing in front of a crowd like this it’s amazing, probably some of the best supporters in Australia and to be able to play under this atmosphere while you have a bit of pressure, you can really feel the atmosphere of the game, and that’s really important especially for our preparation.
“We play these official matches, and have a big crowd to feel that pressure and to get a win in that pressure, it’s really promising for the team.
“The US is just like us. They’re a hard-working team, so to get these strong, hard, hit-outs through the course of the week, it’s really, really valuable for our team.”
“Me, Joe and Aaron will now head back to Europe, well the rest of the boys keep training in Sydney.
“It’s going to be a lot of hard work this next three months, getting that preparation before we join back up as a team,” he said.
The Aussie women weren't so lucky, coming off second best against defending Olympic Champions, the USA.
The Aussie Stingers went down fighting against a formidable USA side 7-10, with the defending Olympic champions taking out the third game and series decider.
Despite a very strong start from the Aussies, leading by one goal heading into the final quarter, the USA came out firing to outscore the Aussies five to one in the final period.
The Aussie Stingers earlier this week broke the USA 69 game winning streak in their first international series since the 2019 FINA World Championships.
While the result in the final test didn’t go the Australians way, Captain Rowie Webster said she was pleased for all the Aussie fans who had turned out for their last international match on home soil ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
“I think both teams had reviewed a lot of footage and knew what the other team would deliver which is what I think created a low score at half time. This is all about our journey (towards Tokyo) and I think all three games were good.
“It was a privilege to host the USA and to jag a win against them… you can only play the opposition in front of you and we have always said we just need to focus on our game plan,” she said.
Rio Olympian Lea Yanitsas was sensational in goals tonight, enjoying the opportunity to train and compete against the world’s top team.
“Having America join us in Brisbane has been absolutely fantastic. They are the best team in the world and there's nothing better than to practice against the best in the world,” said Yanitsas.
“It's a good feeling beating America. That’s what you train for, that's what you do all the hard yards for.
“You always want the most incredible training environment and America helped bring that and we're really grateful that they could join us here this week.
“Things are going well, we still have loads to improve on which is a fantastic place to be as it means that we've got room to grow and keep challenging ourselves,” she said.
Players will now head back to their Clubs for the OVO Australian Water Polo League before the next international tour and competition at the FINA World League Inter-continental Cup.
