WSL2 - Report by Alex Steere

Our girls delivered an impressive performance in our latest water polo match, showing great discipline, adaptability, and teamwork from the first whistle to the final siren. We opened the game with intensity, establishing an early lead and finishing the first quarter at 7–1. The momentum carried through to the second quarter, where strong defensive structure and pressure kept our opponents scoreless, pushing the score to 12–1 by halftime. A key highlight of the match was Gen’s outstanding contribution in attack, locking in five goals before being rolled in the third quarter. Emily continued her reliable form, winning all her swim-offs with speed and consistency, giving us the advantage from each quarter’s start. Our ability to adapt tactically was a major strength—we successfully shifted from a drop to a press when the opposition began taking outside shots, applying effective pressure that forced turnovers and disrupted their play. Although we made a few unforced errors that allowed them to steal the ball, our recovery and support play helped us regain control quickly. Kate was a standout in goals once again, making several critical saves to maintain our lead. In attack, Alex delivered a surprise backhand goal, helping to balance out an earlier missed penalty shot. The support from the sidelines also added to the energy, with great encouragement throughout the match. Overall, it was a strong team effort with plenty to be proud of as we continue building momentum for the season ahead.

Essendon defeated the Richmond Tigers : 22 - 5  

Goals : Gen 5, Maria 5, Alex 4, Olivia 2, Phoebe 2, Emmy 2, Lara 1, Emily 1

WSL3 - Report by Lisa Murray-Segal

This week we welcomed Kerrie to the team, with a solid show of 11 players, all keen and ready to go against a strong St Caths side who were down to just 7 players.  This gave us some hope that we could match them for pace as we cycled through the bench.  But they were quick off the mark, finding holes in our defence and using their speed against our slower players to put 3 goals away.  We had a couple of shots that could have been placed better, so went into the break down 0-3.  It was a similar story in the second quarter.  We couldn't cover the breaks and we squandered some good chances up forward.  But we were starting to get ourselves into better positions in attack and switching opponents in defence to better manage player abilities.  Once more we were kept scoreless, and StCaths added another 3 to their tally making it 0-6 at halftime.  The third quarter was our most productive.  Whilst we couldn't stop StCaths putting another 3 goals away, we opened our own account with a lovely goal from our keeper - Sandra -  who ventured right up to point, sneaking further in as we moved aside to give her the shot.  This was followed up by Megan with a strong arm angled rocket from the wing.  We missed a penalty shot, but went into the final break down 2-9.  We carried our good form into the final quarter putting StCaths under pressure with some solid defence and great saves from Sandra.  Our forward line was still lacking some shape and we struggled to keep possession against some tough defence.  St Cath's were tiring but we had fresher swimmers so they couldn't break loose and we kept them scoreless for the term.  We were awarded a penalty in the last 10secs, but couldn't convert it to add to the three quarter time scorline.

Essendon were defeated by St Catherine's : 2 - 9  Goals : Sandra 1, Megan 1

MSL4 

Essendon were defeated by Geelong : Score TBC  Goals : TBC

12&U Mixed 

Footscray/Essendon defeated Northcote : 9 - 5  Goals : TBC

14&U Girls

Our girls had a scheduled bye this week, but will be up against Melbourne Collegians on Sunday for their first game at Melbourne Girls Grammar.

14&U Boys - Report by Bec Kirby

They came from far & wide to form the powerhouse Northcote / Footscray / Essendon team. Through awkward silences and mumbled words the introductions were made and warm up began. Once they hit the pool it was clear that, despite not knowing each other, these boys had come to play as a team. The first quarter saw several goals, some epic intercepts and a pass that defied gravity. DVE did not know what was happening. The second quarter started with a quick goal, an excellent save and another goal. This set the tone for a big quarter and 3 more goals were scored and DVE were unable to find the back of the net. I'm not sure what the DVE coach said at the half time pep talk, but they came out firing in the third and were able to score a couple of goals, but our boys were not spooked and managed to hold the lines and keep the score in our favour. The boys dug deep in the last quarter and we saw intercepts that kept the ball heading our way, a couple of goals were scored and we made the DVE goalie work hard with further attempts. Overall, this team should be proud of the way they came together for their first game and I personally look forward to cheering them on this season.

Northcote/Footscray/Essendon defeated DVE Aquatic : 11 - 5  

Goals : Lachlan 3, Henry 3, Ashton 2, Hamish 2, Lukas 1

Yth Boys - Report by Zac Holland

It was a tough opening game against experienced older boys this week. Our young coach was always encouraging, and the team really gelled under his guidance.

Northcote/DVE Aquatic/Essendon were defeated by Richmond Black : 2 - 14  Goals : Ollie 2