Celebrating Our Inaugural Award Winners
In our first year of hosting these awards, we’re proud to shine a spotlight on the incredible people who make our water polo community thrive. From the pool deck to behind the scenes, these individuals, teams, and clubs represent the passion, dedication, and spirit of our sport. Congratulations to all of our 2025 Award Winners – and thank you for the impact you make in Water Polo.
Winners
Tom Hoad Medal (PWL)
Awarded to Flynn Mais as Grand Final MVP
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Andrew Meloncelli Medal (PWL)
Awarded to Zoe Arancini as Grand Final MVP
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PWL Best and Fairest
Emma Putt (Triton WPC)
Tim Putt (Triton WPC)
Harry Bruce (Melville WPC)
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Country Championships Best and Fairest
Lilly Tomlins (Bunbury WPA), Alex Gunnell (Karratha WPA)
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Senior Player of the Year
Finalist – Zoe Arancini and Luke Pavillard
Winner – Zoe Arancini
A three-time Olympian and proud product of WA’s Melville Water Polo Club, Zoe Arancini captained the Aussie Stingers to a silver medal at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Renowned for her leadership, integrity, and tactical brilliance, Zoe led by example both in and out of the pool. She played in both Perth Premier League in 2024 and lead the Marlins Team to State Champions as well as played her 350th AWL Match during the 2025 AWL Season as Co- Captain of the Marlins and led them to win the Bronze medal.
Beyond the pool, Zoe has dedicated her career to excellence in water polo while giving back to the community through mentoring, advocacy, and club involvement. She continues to inspire the next generation with her resilience, humility, and team-first mindset.
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Country Player of the Year
Finalists:
Lilly Tomlins (Bunbury), Marnie Koch (Peel), Marko Draksimovic (Mandurah), Kylie English (Bunbury)
Winner: Kylie English
Kylie leads by example as the captain of the Bunbury Women’s team and coach of the Bunbury Men’s team. She mentors junior and developing players at the club. Kylie played in the Southwest Storm being the first regional team to compete in the Senior State League and was awarded the 2024/25 David Outhwaite Medal for the MVP across the tournament who also demonstrates the values of mateship and spirited competition which were values that David himself embodied.
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Young Achiever of the Year (Community Focus)
Finalists:
Oliver Leonard, Bella Rose,
Winner: Bella Rose – Phantoms
Bella Rose has been a driving force in rebuilding and growing the club’s junior and women’s programs. She represented Phantoms at three AYC tournaments between 2015–2017 and has continued to provide leadership and stability to the club’s novice women’s teams and her dedication has helped introduce more adults to the sport.
Now managing the Flippaball and PhunBall programs, coaching JSL teams, and mentoring junior coaches, Bella has helped junior membership grow from 31 to over 100 in one season. Her passion, energy, and commitment make her an incredible asset to the club and a role model for others.
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Gary Payne Junior Referee Encouragement Award
Finalist: Xavier Harris and Kate Colhart
Winner: Xavier Harris
Xavier has demonstrated great dedication to his refereeing this season and an ability to listen and learn from senior referees which has seen a significant improvement in his refereeing skills over the season. He was involved in refereeing at the Australian Youth Championships, which was his first national competition and is working towards building his skills to gain his development referee accreditation.
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Liz Burman Offical of the Year
Finalist: Fiona Haigh, Mark Balenzuela,
Winner: Mark Balenzuela
Mark has demonstrated excellence across all areas of officiating, from consistent rule enforcement and fairness, to supporting referee development and integrity. Highly respected by PWL players, he’s known for his professionalism and openness to post-game discussions. This season, Mark made a significant contribution to Country Water Polo, attending referee clinics in Busselton, supporting National and Country Championships. He also mentored young referees as part of the Guided Community referee course and acted as a delegate for JSL B Grade games.
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Coach of the Year
Finalist: Andrew Barder, Slobodan Macic, Peter Arancini
Winner: Andrew Barber
Andrew is a dedicated coach who leads with integrity and a focus on player development. This year, he guided the U16 and U18 UWA Bears to the grand finals in JSL, and the UWA U16 boys to silver at AYC. He was the WA State co-coach for 15&U Boys having previously coached the WA 17&U team and been Assistant Coach for 19&U. Andrew further supported WPWA this year in delivering coaching clinics in Leinster and at Busselton Water Polo. He also played a key role in UWA Torpedoes’ AWL silver medal and has been recognised by WPA as a candidate coach for development in the National Age Group coaching program.
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Integrity Tyres Volunteer of the Year
Finalists: Liza Morrision (Busselton WPA) and Rick Giles (Geraldton WPA)
Winner: Rick Giles
Rick, has been a driving force behind the Geraldton Water Polo Association for over a decade. Known for his strategic mindset, meticulous record-keeping, and passion for community sport, Rick has helped grow and strengthen the Association through long-term planning and innovative thinking. His commitment to teamwork, positive change, and inspiring others truly embodies the spirit of volunteerism.
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Team of the Year
Winner: UWA Torpedos
The UWA Torpedoes men delivered an outstanding season in the Australian Water Polo League, losing only two games in the regular season before claiming the silver medal in an exciting Grand Final. The team rose from 5/6th position on the ladder in 2024 to finish 2nd in 2025 under new coach Slobodan Macic.
What makes this achievement even more significant is that, aside from their imports, the team is largely WA-born athletes who came through the UWA and Triton development pathways. Their performance is testament to local talent, team cohesion, and unwavering determination at the highest level of competition. The team set a great example for younger players wishing to compete at this level.
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Club of the Year
Winner – New Wave Water Polo Club
New Wave Water Polo Club has grown into a thriving, inclusive community focused on player development and participation. In under three years, the club has expanded to 8 JSL teams, 3 SSL teams, and supported 84 juniors at AYC. Through initiatives like Flippa Ball, school outreach, and inclusive programs for players of all abilities, New Wave has built a strong, community-driven culture that champions opportunity, connection, and growth in the sport.
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Association of the Year
Finalists: Busselton and Bunbury WPA
Winner: Busselton WPA
Busselton Water Polo Association has had a standout year, highlighted by the successful hosting of the 2025 Country Championships. With strong leadership, strategic planning, and community partnerships, the club introduced over 100 new players through ‘Come & Try’ sessions, grew its junior pathways, and secured over $20k in sponsorship to invest in equipment and development clinics for referees, coaches and coaches.
They also launched officiating clinics with WPWA to provide development for their referees, coaches and players and sent two junior teams to the Australian Youth Championships for the first time. Their achievements reflect a thriving, inclusive club culture and a deep commitment to growing water polo in the South West.
MAY
2025