Water polo’s greatest challenge

Press, 14 July 1982, Page 36

Water polo’s greatest challenge

By

RAY CAIRNS

While all the bally-hoo' of soccer's World Cup finals thrust much deserved attention on the New Zealand team, another sport's senior side had already qualified for its own world championships, and in a much more strictly limited field of 16 teams. A True, the national water polo team had Australia, the -constant obstacle to its own place in the fields for world ; and Olympic Games competition, removed from its path to Ecuador. That was because Australia, a regular world traveller, has accordingly lifted its standard and and won an autoi'matic: place. That made New Zealand, : the only other contender, the Oceania representative in the world at Guayaquil at the end of this month r- a

place in the sun with the giants of the game — the Hungarys, the Russias; the Italys, the Americas. New Zealand, in fact, has drawn a powerful group, a group just as mighty as that faced by the soccer players. It has Italy, third at the last Olympic Games; West Germany, now the European Champion; and Spain, fourth in the FINA Cup competition last year and possessing the top goal-scorer of the tournament. ' Even Australia. now ranked in the world's top eight, will have to face the might of Russia and the United States in its group matches, partly because of the United States losing some of its ranking through not attending the . Moscow Olympics.' But New Zealand, in the best style of the soccer team, is making a thorough preparation for the tournament, though without the public adulation and awareness of the sport which is its dryland equivalent. It is heading directly for California, and will spend six ;,days in a training camp under Bob Horn, the noted former United States coach and Olympic goalie who. is a regular visitor to New Zealand for coaching clinics. Then it is to Guayaquil, where the New. Zealand team chef de mission, Mr Rex

Freear, expects “a couple of scrimmages with Australia" before the tournament. It is a baptism of fire — "you. can say that again,” said Mr Freear. “But we are not daunted by it; the boys are in a better state of preparedness than ever before. I've just had word from Clive Power in Christchurch that John Koens has done a 19min 15s 1500 m, and Gary Campbell around 21min. That underlines the. dedication of the team. "Though there are the odd ‘aches’ who haven't worked quite as hard as they should, the majority have worked very, very hard. They’re bet- ' ter prepared, as I say, than before; they have the benefit of having the same coach for the last two years; and: they have had the advantage of recent, internationals with China, which has to play off against Israel, in China, for the Asia place at the worlds." In so many respects, New Zealand's water polo team is and will be compared with the soccer side. Mr Freear obviously sees similar beneficial side-effects. “The exposure of our top players to international class play means they will prosper accordingly. Put them in the arena in a world-class situa : tion and they won't be disgraced. They have a hell of a lot to learn, and where better

than the international arena?” said Mr Freear. "But we are by no means the Cinderellas of the tournament,” said Mr Freear. “Canada, which is substituting for Ecuador as the ‘host’ nation, because Ecuador is not a presence in world water polo, was beaten by our national team last time we played.” Canada is now captained by Rene 801, then — in 1977 — a member of that New Zealand team. Mr Freear acknowledged

that New Zealand would be “geeing pretty vigorously” for Australia, as continued success, by that country ensures- continuing New Zealand participation at a world level. Tt is that which has placed "Australia in its present position. “As, things stand at present.. we will find it very difficult to beat Australia,” said Mr Freear. “Their record against us is pretty impressive. We go close a couple of times, then they

head off round the world again; we don’t; and we just stay that little bit behind them. Now, too. they have );Tom Hoad back as. their ’professional coach, and that will continue to keep Ausi' tralia strong."

• Though New Zealand is a relative minnow in the world of water polo, Mr Freear sees some distinct strengths. “The team-work should be very good; they have played together a lot. There are the senior players mingled with

emerging ! youth. and a;lot of ' them have played, in youth J. teams together. It’s good to see them coming from that nurturing ground.” There is no question that the team will be sorely hit by the unavailability of Grahame Duffy, John Davie, Paul Dyson and Russell McCorinochie, the latest to join the team being Stephen Ward, of Canterbury, and Phillip Montgomerie, an Aucklander now in the UCLA top team. "We are very hopeful that he will be a real asset with what he has learned there,” said Mr Freear.

With an average age of only 22 l 2 and surely the youngest team at Guayaquil, and two of the team (Nigel Ward and Neil Watson) still at school, the financial path has not been easy.

It has not had the massive public support enjoyed .by the soccer players, and only a $13,000 government underwriting. So it has cost the players $lOOO each, as little as that thanks to the fundraising drive of Mr Freear, but he confessed himself to being disappointed that "noone down there' (in Christchurch), has masterminded the fund-raising.” “I like to look beyond what we are campaigning for now; I like an ongoing thing, and think we have to establish a fund-raising system in all the

major centres. These schoolboys, for example, are disadvantaged immediately as they have no income.” But Mr Freear stressed that the New Zealand Amateur Swimming Association, which has not always enjoyed an easy contact with its water polo discipline, “has stood by us very strongly. I think it is a bloody good move to get a rapport with the NZASA, and I like to think it is stronger now than it has been.” New Zealand’s international competition for the year does not conclude with the Ecuador experience. Within the next week, the squad will be named from which a team will be chosen to compete in an international competition ih Brisbane during the Commonwealth Games. ,