Reddam Constantia eyes back-to-back St Anne’s Water Polo Tournament titles
Reddam House Constantia’s first girls’ water polo coach, Connor Whiting, says playing “simple water polo” will be their main focus when they kick off their title defence at the St Anne’s Water Polo Tournament in Hilton, KwaZulu-Natal.
The annual event, which brings together many of the country’s top water polo sides, runs from 26 to 28 September at the St Anne’s Aquatic Centre.
Reddam won the tournament last year after beating the hosts 10-2 in a one-sided final.
They return to the tournament as one of the favourites, and coach Whiting is pleased with how his team’s preparations have gone.
“The preparations have been good,” he said. “We had the Mackenzie Cup last weekend, which was like the first tick on the calendar.
“The goal was to prep and do well at our home tournament. Thankfully, at Reddam, we are blessed with an indoor pool, which gives us a bit of an advantage in the Western Cape.
“In winter, we can train and get into the pool a little bit earlier. It’s also a bit easier getting the girls down [to train], knowing they don’t have to be in the rain or the cold. That’s a big positive.”
Whiting also has the luxury of an experienced squad at his disposal. Instead of shying away from the pressure that comes with being the defending champion, the Reddam girls are embracing it.
“The girls are very excited,” Whiting shared. “They had a lot of fun last year and created some good memories.
“Being the defending champions does give you that little bit more energy and having positive results from last year gives us that energy.
“Another positive is that out of the team that’s been selected, there are only two players from last year who are missing. Otherwise, it’s pretty much the same team, with two new players.”
The mentor was very happy with his side’s performances at the Mackenzie Cup despite falling short against Durban Girls’ College in the final.
In the past week or so, he says they’ve focused on simplifying their game plan while they prepare to tackle some tough opposition.
“We had a look at what we didn’t get right at the Mackenzie Cup, especially in the final,” he said. “Looking at the basics, simple water polo is what I like to see as a coach, and that’s what we do really well. We play with confidence and that’s the key to any successful team.”
Reddam has been drawn in Pool A and will take on St Stithians College, St Mary’s Waverley and Maris Stella.
“We are in quite a tough pool. It’s always difficult to play against Saints, but nothing is more exciting than playing against the other top teams in the country. So, we are very excited for that,” Whiting commented on Reddam’s group stage opposition.
The Capetonians kick off their title defence against St Mary’s on Friday at 08:00.
Reddam House Constantia Team
Iviwe Oduore, Summer Wain, Holly Binneman, Sarah Palframan, Julia Luckoff (c), Abi Weatherall, Bailey Donnachie, Holly Strydom, Sam Nimb, Tayla Bosman, Lauren Helm, Jesica Bester, Aman Moonda.
