2026 National State Championships Results

Held from 29 September to 3 October in Melbourne, the 2026 National State Championships brought together talented junior water polo players from across Western Australia for five days of competition.

Western Australia’s Results

17U Boys: Bronze Medal – 3rd place
17U Girls: 6th place
15U Boys: 5th place
15U Girls: 4th place overall, finishing 3rd among Australian teams, with the New Zealand National Team also competing.

17U Boys Claim Bronze

WA’s 17U Boys secured a well-earned bronze medal at the National State Championships, showcasing the teamwork, determination and resilience developed throughout their campaign.

Assistant Coach, Robert Wilkinson credited the team’s success to their commitment over 12 weeks of preparation, during which Head Coach Andrew Barber developed specific attacking and defensive strategies designed to maximise the strengths of the playing group.

The team’s attacking strength was led by specialist centre forwards Essington Bailey and Lucas Bridle, alongside the impressive extra-man scoring capabilities of Ruben Seress, Ryan Wallis and Josh Bradbury.

Defensively, Captain Jake Tucker and Alejandro Calo set the standard at centre back, supported by what Wilkinson described as the team’s “unshakeable goalkeepers”, Tommy Steer and Stewart Bell.

Thomas Gamble and Hayden Jefferys played key roles in both attack and defence, while Kobe Feizaks and Jack Gibson kept opposition teams guessing with their dynamic play. Adam Glass also demonstrated exceptional versatility, stretching from centre back to centre forward and tirelessly executing the flying sub role to ensure the centre forwards had regular short breaks to maintain our offence intensity.

Reflecting on the bronze medal achievement, Wilkinson praised the players’ ability to rise to the challenges of national competition.

“The Bronze medal was well earned by the boys as they dug deep into their resilience to overcome the challenges of tournament polo, alongside earning high respect from their peers and at the expense of coach Barbs’ loss of voice. The belief of this group of WA’s top 17 Boys means this story feels like there maybe another unwritten chapter sometime in the future.”

Ruben Seress, was named the 17U Boys MVP.