Water Polo: Hosts back in national fray

Justin Pickering is one of five current New Zealand reps in the Tauranga water polo team. Photo / File

Tauranga will host a round of the national men's water polo league over Waitangi weekend.

It is the first time in six years that Tauranga has entered men's and women's teams in the national league so expectations are high for a good performance in the men's round, starting today.

"The goal was to get men and women who have left school and might be aged anywhere from 19-30 back playing the game," said Tauranga women's coach and New Zealand Water Polo board member Paul Kayes. "Like most sports, water polo has a huge drop off when kids leave school. We really struggle to retain adults in the game and while admittedly there are still a few school boys and school girls playing in all teams in the league this year, at least in Tauranga we have succeeded in attracting some old hands back to play."

Tauranga men's coach John Hayes was rapt.

"We've got 11 post-school guys back playing, ranging in age from 20 to 30 years.

"While we don't have any big expectations of winning too many games, with the depth coming through in our age group teams this bodes really well for the future. If we can have a men's team for the schoolboys to aspire to play in, that's great. Hopefully it'll also get some of them interested in coaching.

"This has certainly been a long-term goal for the club to have a men's and women's team in the national league. The last four or five years the club has managed to have a good number of players male and female chosen for New Zealand teams. Outside Auckland we would be the most represented club and we now feel we have the player resources to compete."

There will be six games of high-octane action to watch each day at Baywave Aquatic Centre. The Tauranga women play the following weekend from February 13-15 in Taupo.