Blues start with derby
Soler and Galea to receive best player awards
Winter League title holders Sliema McDonald’s will be making their first official showing of the year tomorrow when they clash against Neptunes Emirates as the pre-season tournament enters in its second week.
Last year, the Blues chalked up their fifth honour in the winter competition after beating Neptunes in a tense final at Tal-Qroqq.
The Reds made up for that upset by claiming the national cham-pionship in summer. So, the plat-form is again set for another year of sporting rivalry between these two giants of Maltese waterpolo.
Neptunes are currently under the charge of coach Tony Camilleri with Russian mentor Sergey Markoch returning in May.
The Reds had a superb take-off last week as they outsmarted Balluta Bay neighbours San Ġiljan 10-6 in a match that saw both teams struggling for stamina and cohesion, two key elements of the game that can only get better as the season progresses.
Neptunes’ talent Jordan Camilleri showed little signs of rustiness though as he scored four goals against San Ġiljan, posing a con-stant threat with his shooting and powerful swimming.
Against Neptunes, Karl Izzo was making his debut as coach of San Ġiljan. Tomorrow, the Saints play Sirens, Izzo’s former team last year.
Meanwhile, the Aquatic Sport Association recently announced that the winners of the Player of the Years awards were John Soler and Anthony Galea respectively.
Soler had another outstanding 2010 season for the Blues while Galea proved his worth for Ta’ Xbiex in Division Two.
The presentations will take place tomorrow.
Soler will get his award prior to the derby and Galea before the start of the match between San Ġiljan and Sirens. In the off-season, Galea returned to the Saints’ fold after a season with Ta’ Xbiex.
In a statement, the ASA said they will shortly announce a new set of parameters to be used in the selection of the 2011 award winners.
This is being done to ensure more transparency in the selection of award winners in future.