Waterpolo: Local lads hope to make a splash

NZ Under-18 water polo players Cameron Hayes, left, and Matt Henson are off to the World Youth Water Polo Champs in Istanbul. Photo / John Borren

Matt Henson and Cameron Hayes plan to make the most of their chance to shine in front of scouts for professional water polo teams.

The two Tauranga 17-year-olds were named in the New Zealand Under-18 team to contest the second FINA World Men's Youth Water Polo Championships in Istanbul, Turkey on August 2-10.

In Turkey and many parts of Europe, water polo is a hugely popular sport with media, sponsorship and spectator interest hard to imagine here in New Zealand.

Henson and Hayes are accustomed to overseas travel and tournaments, with four years international experience each, but with university looming on the horizon this is an opportunity they want to make the most of.

"This one is huge for us. I really want to train hard for it over the next six months and it is pretty much go hard or go home," Henson said. "This is like the pinnacle for me as you can't really do much in New Zealand after this for polo unless we get something like a scholarship for varsity.

"Everyone has aspirations for a career in (water polo) and at the worlds you can get picked up so easy and stuff. Last year one of the guys in our team got picked up by an American college team."

Hayes has similar aspirations to stand out at the worlds and hopefully to follow the pathway set by Mount Maunganui's Joe Kayes, a professional player in Turkey's biggest league. "The sport is huge there and I have never been to Istanbul before. But I am looking forward to it and the food especially."

In recent years the number of New Zealand reps coming through Tauranga water polo has increased dramatically which Hayes says is because of the surf lifesaving connection. "We have an advantage over most of the other teams, and particularly Auckland, because most of us do surf. We are a lot fitter and it helps with strength and swimming ability."