Marist Auckland Waterpolo

07.04.2008 Both Marist Senior teams cruised to convincing wins over Tauranga last Saturday. The women left nothing to chance in their first match of the season beating the newly formed home side 24 – 2. The men faced more resistance but managed to gain control over the young Tauranga team finishing 25 – 9.  Both teams will now have 3 weekends off before heading to Wellington on May 2^nd.

02.04.2008 Marist’s Senior Men side kicked off their 2008 National League season in style last weekend beating Waitakere Blue Devils 19 – 7. Click here for details.

25.02.2008 Marist is pleased to announce two more grants recently paid to the Club. The Lion Foundation donated $5,000 towards National Championships and Auckland City Council Facilities Fund contributed $3,500 towards facility usage. Grants and donations are a major source of income helping the club to keep fees for its members at reasonable levels.

14.02.2008 Marist is to launch its U12 programme on Sunday, March 2^nd with Muster Day being held from 10.15 – 12.00 am at Sacred Heart Pool. The programme, which caters for players born 1996 or later will lead up to a tournament in Tauranga on April 26^th – 28^th. There will be 7 training sessions in total. More information.

21.12.2007 ch The Marist Under 14 Boys White team captured the National Under 14 Division 2 title in Hamilton this week with a 10-8 win in overtime against cross town rivals Waitakere Teal. The final was an exciting end to the season for the young boys - in an age group the club considers vital for development. Most of the boys were Under 13 which means the experience of playing at a National Championship will hold them in good stead as many will advance to the Under 14 Division 1 grade in 2008. For coach Kyle Hattie it was his second winning team for a gold medal this year having coached the Blue boys to win the Under 16 Division 2 nationals in September. Young Joseph Boyce (Remuera Intermediate) won the tournament's MVP award. Well done Joseph!

29.11.2007 NZ Senior Men side will face Australia in a three game Olympic Qualifier this weekend at West Wave, Waitkakere. The reformed team featuring 4 Marist players will be underdogs against an internationally experienced Australian side but will try their best to give “Aussie Sharks” a decent run for their money.

Game times:

Friday 30/11, 8.00 pm

Saturday 31/01, 7.00 pm

Sunday 1/12, 1.30 pm

10.10.2007 In a repeat of U16 Nationals Marist U18 Red women team were beaten by narrow margin in last weekend’s U18 National Championship final. NorthSport took the title after defending a 7-6 advantage against the defending champions who trailed for most of the game. Marist Men came 3^rd after beating Hutt 10 – 8 in the Bronze play off. More information will follow. All results and photo galleries.

26.09.2007 The club’s Under 12 players had their final games for the year at the Tournament of Olympic Hopefuls held at the Millennium Institute from 22-24 September. In front large and vocal crowds Marist pocketed two medals. Read more.

31.08.2007 Last weekend's U14's saw some of Marist's up and coming players in action for the first time this season. The boys team got only beaten once - by NorthSport in the final - while the girls came 5th. Following the  objective  of the tournament Marist had  nominated some of the less experienced players and particularly for some of the girls this weekend was their first ever outing at club level. All players and showed strong improvement throughout the competition -  as individuals and teams - and are continue to prepare for the Northern League commencing in the 4th school term. The club would like to thank all touring parents for their support on this trip.

23.07.2007 The Marist Red U20 team gained the third National Championship for the club in the 2007 year, in defending their National Junior Mens title. MORE.

16.07.2007 Once again Marist will be running a spring programme for new and existing under 12 players (players born 1 January 1995 or later). This will consist of training sessions at the Sacred Heart Aquatic Centre, leading up to an under 12 tournament – The Tournament of Olympic Hopefuls- to be held at the Millennium Institute in Mairangi Bay on 22 to 24 September. MORE

27.06.2007 With only a few days to go till National Finals Marists Senior teams enter the final preparation stage. The women are picked top favourites having remained unbeaten throughout the National League. Read more. The Men have an outsider chance but will have to overcome very strong opposition for the National Title. Read more.

18.06.2007 After beating their next closest rivals NorthSport (11 – 8) and QEII (11 – 9) last weekend the Marist senior women have won the minor premiership going into the National finals as top seated team. Read more.

18.06.2007 Marist Senior Men had to take their third defeat of the season after losing to NorthSport 6 – 7 on Friday night at the Millenium. Read more.

15.06.2007 In tonight’s National League clashes against NorthSport at the Millennium Institute Marist will reach out for the top spot in the table. A win against the local rivals would secure 1^st place for the Women while the Men need a high margin win in order to keep a theoretical chance alive. Both games will be closely fought and will be a worthwhile excuse for all supporters to get the passports out and head across the bridge. The women will swim off at 6.45 pm while the men will start at 8.00.

13.06.2007 Michael Parr, Daniel Jackson, Maui Whatiri, Andy Sieprath, Matt Reid and Josh Campbell have been selected for the Junior Mens National team forming a strong Marist contingent for the upcoming Junior World Championships in Long Beach, U.S. In preparation the team will play an international tournament in Calgary, Canada before heading to California. At last World Champs in Argentina New Zealand came 12^th achieving the best ranking for a NZ Junior Mens side. Click here for the official announcement.

12.06.2007 Details of the U14 Muster Day have now been confirmed for coming Sunday. The boys will start at 10.15am and finish at 12.00 while the girl’s muster training is from 2.30 until 3.30pm - both at Sacred Heart College, Glendowie. Between both sessions lies the Senior Women’s National League game against last year’s runner up QE II from Christchurch – a great opportunity to see some first class water polo.  

12.06.2007 After beating Waitak convincingly on Friday night Marist Senior Men had to concede yet another loss against a Wellington side at Sacred Heart on Sunday afternoon. Hutt Heat confirmed their semi final ambitions by beating Marist 10 – 9 in a turbulent match that saw 27 exclusions. Read more.

22.05.2007 With 5 wins from 5 games Marist claimed the maximum points from last weekend’s road trip to Wellington. The women beat a re-strengthened Maranui side by 14 – 9 and overpowered Harbour City by 20 – 3. Read more. The men won all their games by close margin clinching a 13 – 12 over Maranui and turned the game around in the final quarter against Hutt to win by 11 – 8. In Sunday’s clash Marist pulled of a 11 – 10 victory over Harbour City. Read more.  

13.05.2007 In an uninspiring game Marist Men beat Waitakere by 19 – 10 at Sacred Heart last Friday. Waitakere surprised in the fist quarter taking a 3 – 1 lead before Marist woke up to notch a 5 – 3 score before going into the quarter break. From then on Marist controlled the game creating plenty of opportunities from counter attacks. However, individual technical mistakes allowed Waitak a number of easy goals. Marist will have to pick up a notch next weekend when the team will travel to Wellington to take on the three local teams in three days.  

MARIST MAGIC                     WAITAKERE BLUE DEVILS

        19                                                       10

10.05.2007 In another Friday night game Marist Senior Men will host Waitakere Blue Devils tomorrow at 8.00 pm at Sacred Heart. With two wins against Tauranga and QE II under their belt the Blue Devils currently rank 4^th while Marist holds 2^nd position. Last year Marist took maximum points in both games winning 17-8 out West and 20-1 at home. 

03.05.2007 31 players were announced last week to form the NZ School Girls Squad building towards the Trans Tasman Test Series in Brisbane in December 2007 – amongst them 7 Marist girls. Ashleigh Fletcher, Lauren Sieprath, Simone Lewis ( all DIO),Emma Stoneman (EGGS), Emma Jane, Jamie Reid (St. Cuthberts) and Rachel Lewis (St. Kentigern) are all considered strong candidates for the final team of 13 and will participate in numerous training / selection camps over the coming months. Full Squad.   

02.05.2007 Marist export Kelly Mason was chosen for the Mountain Pacific Sport Federation All Start team last week and is the only member of her team at University of Hawaii to receive this prestigious honour. Lisa van Raalte was picked for the honourable mention team. The Marist Club congratulates the girls to this excellent achievement. Both girls are part of the five player Marist contingent in Hawaii alongside Anna Sieprath, Amy Logan and Emily Cox. Read the full story. 

30.04.2007 Spectators were treated by double Marist wins over Maranui in yesterday. The girls gained a clear 15 – 2 victory in their season opener leaving nothing to chance. The men bounced back from Friday nights loss to NorthSport beating the reigning National Champions 15 – 8 in a much improved performance. More information will follow. Read NZWPA article.  

28.04.2007 Marist failed to meet the expectations of a large and vocal crowd last night going down 7 – 12 (2-4, 2-1, 0-4, 3-3) to a dominant NorthSport team that appeared stronger in almost all aspects of the game. Particularly in 6 on 5 NorthSport executed well while Marist converted only 2 of its 5 “man up” opportunities. The focus for Marist is now on Sunday’s game against the reigning National Champion Maranui. NZWPA article.

27.04.2007 Following Friday nights clash with NortSport both Marist teams will host their respective counterparts from Maranui on Sunday afternoon at Sacred Heart. This will be the first game of the season for our Senior Women and one out of only four opportunities to see the girls in action at Sacred Heart. So come along and support the teams. The girls will swim off at 12.00 pm followed by the Men’s game at 1.15pm.

24.04.2007 The Nationa League Season is getting serious for the Senior Men this Friday as the team hosts local rivals NorthSport at Sacred Heart for the “Battle of the Bridge”. The clashes between these two teams are always close encounters so strong support from the stands will be crucial for the young Marist team. Read more.

17.04.2007 The youngest members of the club had their first outing of the year over the weekend of 13-15 April, with the annual under 12 tournament. It was hosted by Tauranga Water Polo Club, in chilly weather in the outdoor pool at BOP Polytechnic. 64 people went down - made up of two teams and their supporting families. Read more.

16.04.2007 Marist Magic had a slow start yesterday against competition newcomers Tauranga Taniwhas in the first match of this year’s National League season but a strong second half was enough to secure a convincing 22-8 (4-4, 3-2, 8-1, 7-1) win. More information.

TAURANGA TANIWHAS              MARIST MAGIC

               8                                        22

13.04.2007 There will be an OPEN INFORMATION DAY for all Age Group players on SUNDAY !PRIL 29th at Sacred Heart Pool between 12 noon and 3.00pm. Click here for age group and resgistration details. All attendees can also watch the Senior Women and Men National League games between Maranui and Marist at 12.15pm (W) and the 1.30pm (M). More information on these games will be available soon.

19.03.2007 Last weeks Southern Cross Cup did indeed provide the NZ water polo community with the promised highlights with world class water polo throughout the entire tournament. Marist’s goalkeeper Michael Parr (photo) became an unlikely hero when he was called up on short notice to help out the Russian team who had left their injured goalies behind in Russia. This “draft” gave Mike – experienced 18 years old - the unique opportunity to shine against some of the best players in the world and in front of a huge crowd. More information will follow.

27.02.2007 Two weeks after the women NZWPA selectors have announced the Senior Men team for upcoming World Championships in Melbourne and the Southern Cross Cup earlier in Auckland. Marist players Shaun and Jaques Venter were confirmed for both competitions. Together with the girls Marist will have 10 players at water polo’s biggest event that will see New Zealand competing against the world’s elite. Johnathan Ware and Andrew Sieprath will play at the Southern Cross Cup but may miss out on World Champs. Click here for the full team.  

14.02.2007 The Marist U12 program is to kick off again soon with the official registration scheduled for Sunday 18 February at Sacred Heart. All Water Polo enthusiasts born 1995 or later are invited to come along and join. Highlight of the Autumn calendar will be the annual U12 tournament in Tauranga from April 13^th – 15^th. Click here for more information and registration form details.

23.12.2006 The NZ Schoolgirls left nothing to chance in the Trans Tasman Series against Australia win three clean wins (12 - 5, 10 - 7, 6 - 4). NZ School Boys had to thank South Africa for their effort against Australia. Their 13-13 draw secured NZ the win of the Tri Nations title. A win, a loss and a draw to Australia, however, was not enough to re-claim the Trans Tasman Shield. All results.

06.12.2006 Four Marist players have been selected for the New Zealand School Boys team to play a series of test matches against Australia and South Africa from December 17^th – 21^st in Auckland. Andrew Illman (Glendowie College), Todd Lambourne (Sacred Heart), Daniel Jackson (St. Kentigern) and Michael Parr (Auckland Grammar, photo) will join the team coached by Marist Johnathan Ware. More.

Kristin Liggins

28.09.2006 Despite losing only 2 games (to NorthSport and Waikato), the Marist Sharks came 5th in the Olympic Hopefuls tournament held last weekend at the Millennium Institute in Mairangi Bay. The tournament, a NZWPA fundraiser, saw 16 teams from as far as Hutt Valley competing. More.

20.09.2006 The Annual General Meeting (AGM) was held two weeks ago and gave committee and club members in general the opportunity to look back at last year’s achievements and discuss the club’s future. Chairman Chris Hayward and Head Coach Kurt Goldsworthy presented their respective reports, which found the approval of the committee. Although last year was most successful many challenges lie ahead and particularly resource shortages need to be adressed. We summarized both reports. More.

15.07.2006 On the last day of the PANASONIC PAN PACIFIC YOUTH FESTIVAL the Marist U14 and U18 teams consolidated Marist pole position in the overall medal count making it 4 Gold Medals in 8 divisions plus a Silver and one Bronze. Click here for more information, news and recent results. 

06.06.2006 Marist Senior Women defended their National title in a close fought final against Maranui beating the Wellington team 7 – 5. The Men A claimed the Bronze over Harbour City while the B – team missed out on the Plate loosing 8 – 9 to Hutt Heat. Read more.

29.04.2006 Our five Marist girls (Amy Logan, Emily Cox, Lisa v. Raalte, Kelly Mason and Anna Sieprath) have helped create history for University of Hawaii beating University of Southern California 10-9 to make the championship match for the first time. Click here for the article.

18.04.2006 Wahine University of Hawaii, the current team of five Marist players, is still on track to make the finals of the in early May. Our girls, Anna Sieprath, Lisa van Raalte, Kelly Mason, Emily Cox and Amy Logan are kept busy with university studies and an intense training schedule. While the girls plan to return to New Zealand for the final stage of our domestic season, the possible qualification for the United States National Championships may delay their return to after the crucial clash with Maranui. However, Amy Logan (photo), who is in her second season with Wahine, will stay in Hawaii for summer school.  She talks to us about travelling the U.S., the value of team training and dairy products. Read more.

22.03.2006. The 25 year old Australian has recently moved to Waihi from his home town Perth, where he played for Melville and the Fremantle Mariners. Glen won two National League titles in 2000 and 2001with the latter. He will join the Marist Senior Men's squad for the rest of the season and will have his debut against NorthSport this Saturday. More information will follow soon.

According to the latest registration figures released by New Zealand Water Polo last week Marist Auckland Water Polo is the first club in the country to exceed the number of 300 members surpassing NorthSport. The development of the Club goes in line with the general growth of the sport in the country and in Auckland particularly where two new clubs have been established recently. Click here to read more.

5 Marist players have been selected to form the NZ Under 15 Boys Water Polo squad from which the NZ Under 15 Boys team will be selected to play at the Pan Pacific Youth Festival Under 16 Division June 30-July 5th and the Trans Tasman U15 Series July 6-7th in Auckland. Tim Wells, Adrian Kloppers, Neilson Varoy, Aidan Thonhill and Arjan Mahadeven will take part in the further selection process aiming for a spot in the team to play New South Wales. Click here for the whole squad.

He started playing water polo before most of the senior women team members were born, he coached Kurt Goldsworthy and never won the state lottery. Ben Simperingham (photo, on the right) introduces himself to those who haven't got to know him yet. Click here for more.

The Commonwealth Water Polo Championships in Perth saw a happy end for both New Zealand teams after winning their Bronze medal games this afternoon. The Women beat England 10 – 7 while the men won 8 – 5 against South Africa.

Marist players gave their contribution with Emily Cox, Anna Sieprath, Amy Logan and Lisa v. Raalte scoring in the Bronze medal final. Marist's Silverback Zane McAlpine (right photo, on top) had a huge game against the South Africans securing the win in the final quarter.

For detailed game information click here.

For this season three more Marist Senior Women’s players are following team mates Amy Logan and Anna Sieprath to Hawaii. Amy and Anna, who already played successfully for University of Hawaii last season, will be joined by Emily Cox (right photo), Lisa van Raalte (below photo, left) and Kelly Mason (below photo right) for the 2006 campaign.

Although all five players mean a huge loss for Marist’s Senior Women’s team it is a great opportunity for the girls to gain international game experience by competing against Americas best. The girls are expected back in May to play for Marist at the National Championship Finals in Wellington on Queen’s Birthday Weekend.

We wish them a great and successful time ‘over there’ and hope to hear from them soon to keep you updated.

His great performances on the international stages in 2005 didn’t go unnoticed. During Decembers Schoolboys Trans Tasman Test Series Marist’s Andy Sieprath got picked up by selectors of the Wests Magpies from Sydney to play in the Australian National League, the strongest Water Polo Club competition in the Southern Hemisphere. Read more.

Will be missed - Andy with his mum.

In a one sided final Marist U20 scored a 13-5 win over local rivals NorthSport to defend their title at last weekend's Junior Women Nationals in Auckland. With four national titles (U16, U18 and Senior Women) so far Marist remains the strongest club for girls and women's water polo in the country. Amy Logan got awarded Best Defensive Player while Jess Doorman was named Best Goalkeeper. The MVP went to Marist's Anna Sieprath. Read more.

Click here for more photos.

With the New Zealand Women and New Zealand Under 16 sides also competing as invitational teams in this tournament there were several more Marist players in action preparing for upcoming international events such as the Tom Hoad Cup and the Commonwealth Tournament.

After losses to Japan (5 - 10) and the USA (3 - 6), who NZL had beaten in preminilary round, New Zealand finished 12th at the Junior Mens World Championship in Argentina. Although some might have hoped for more after a tremendous round robin the final placing still means the best Junior World Championship ever for a New Zealand Junior Men side. 

The team including both Marist players and coach Kurt Goldsworthy will arrive back home this week.