power play Bendigo’s water polo players are back making a splash after almost two years of COVID-enforced dormancy. The local club even has links to the sport’s most infamous international match of all. By Raelee Tuckerman - Photography by AJ Taylor A whistle signals the start of play and there’s a flurry of arms and legs as athletes power through the pool, eager to win their team first possession of the ball. There’s action aplenty above the water, but like the tip of the proverbial iceberg, there can often be quite a bit going on underneath. On this Thursday night at the Faith Leech Aquatic Centre, members of the Bendigo Water Polo Club are engaged in a fierce but friendly social contest so there’s no need for sneaky below-surface tactics (think niggling, bather-pulling or pinching) sometimes seen in cut-
throat competition. Still, it’s a tough physical workout for players constantly swimming or treading water for seven-minute quarters, trying to score goals while denying their opponents. “It’s deceptive because it looks relatively easy,” says Kate Jackson, who took up water polo as a teenager 30-odd years ago and has now been joined in the pool by her 12-year-old son Finn. “You swim and throw a ball around: how hard can that be? But a lot of thought goes into positioning and you have to be physically strong and mentally switched on. Good players make it look simple.” 93
