I was greatly surprised when I saw that the list of the five athletes selected to contest the final of the Sport Malta Awards, Għażliet Sportivi Nazzjonali, did not include the name of Steven Camilleri.

Mr Camilleri has been playing waterpolo for two consecutive seasons for Rari Nantes Bogliasco in the Italian Serie A, the top waterpolo league in Europe which boasts in its ranks a number of European and World stars.

He ended the 2008/2009 league as top scorer for his club and eighth overall from a long list of 140 scorers, with 41 goals. Now in the Italian national league for 2009/2010, besides being again top scorer for his club, he was, up to the end of last December, in second place, four goals fewer than Serbian superstar Vanja Udovicic of Pro Recco who so far has scored 28.

Mr Camilleri ended the year 2009 ahead of such players as Alessandro Calcaterra (Italy and Pro Recco), Goran Krstonosic of Macedonia and Roma, Tibor Benedek (Hungary and Pro Recco)), Bogdan Rath (Romania and Brixia Leonessa), Rajmund Fodor (Hungary and Bogliasco), Zsolt Varga (Hungary and Posillipo), Jeff Powers (USA and RN Imperia) and other renowned players. It must be stressed that the competition RN Bogliasco take part in, Serie A, is not a regional one but is the top national one in Italy, and considered to be the best in Europe and one of the best worldwide.

Which is why I was surprised that Mr Camilleri did not feature in the final five, with all due respect to those athletes chosen, especially Aaron Ciantar of the Powerboats section.

But it seems that waterpolo is definitely not the darling of the Maltese sporting media these days.

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