Sydney Uni Lions women’s team could lay claim to the 2020 Australian Water Polo League title after the competition was called off last week with two rounds of the competition proper to be played due to the coronavirus issue.
The undefeated Lions had won their 14 games from the six completed rounds to hold a 100 per cent Win Ratio,
The Win Ratio (WR) calculates the number of points received out of the number of points possible and is the basis for ranking the ladders. It is a fair measure if teams have not played an equal number of games.
On that basis, the Sydney Uni women’s side would have claimed the minor and major premierships for 2020, with a WR of 100 per cent, while UTS Balmain Tigers with a WR of 75 per cent (nine wins, three losses) and Queensland Thunder with a WR of 70 per cent (10 wins, four losses) would have battled it out for the runners-up title.
UNSW Wests Magpies would have claimed the 2020 men’s title with a WR of 92 per cent from their 12 games (11 wins, one loss), while Drummoyne Devils, with a WR of 85 per cent from their 10 matches (eight wins, one draw, one loss) and Sydney University with a WR of 80 per cent from their 14 matches (11 wins, one draw, two losses) would have battled out No.2 spot.
The Water Polo Australia Board met at the end of Round 6 to discuss how the current recommendations presented to national sporting organisations in relation to COVID-19 virus, should be addressed by the sport.
In a statement issued by Water Polo Australia following the meeting, WPA said: “With the current threat of coronavirus impacting the health and welfare of Australians, Water Polo Australia has taken guidance from the Council of Australian Governments (COAG), Australian Institute of Sport and other health authorities, to amend the national events calendar and national team training programs.
“Effective from Monday March 16, 2020 the OVO Australian Water Polo League (AWL) will be terminated for 2020, the 2020 WPA National Championships due to be held in Adelaide in May will be cancelled and the Open Championships (Country and Masters) due to be held on the Gold Coast in May will be postponed (date to be confirmed).
“While the AWL finals are only weeks away from being completed the rate of change in the CoVid19 situation means that a suspension of the event is not an option. It would not be reasonable to expect Clubs to continue to train indefinitely waiting for the situation to abate. While the AWL crowds are unlikely to exceed 500 people, the requirement to travel through airports to and from games, and the broader connection our players and officials have into their respective communities, creates a significant risk to all.
“All Age Group national team preparation programs will also be suspended until further notice. WPA will await FINA decisions around the FINA World Championships events and make decisions in due course re preparation for them, if they are to go ahead.”
WPA CEO Richard McInnes said the organisation must put the health and safety of its athletes, officials, staff, volunteers and spectators at the forefront of all decision making.
“These are difficult decisions and we certainly appreciate our community have invested a lot of time, effort and resources into preparing their teams and that coaches and players will have been looking forward to participating or continuing to participate in these events, however we feel that it is important that we play our part, as the water polo community, in reducing the spread of COVID-19 out of respect for all Australians and the health care system,” he said.
“We have been in close communication with our key stakeholders around this decision including our State Associations, AWL Clubs as well as major bodies, including the Australian Institute of Sport and the Australian Olympic Committee.”
