The 23rd Winter League will start today at the National Pool when holders San Ġiljan play Sliema followed by the Sirens vs Valletta clash.
It will be a condensed month-long programme of 24 matches of which six involving the ASA Under-17 team will not be valid for the competition.
The last three matches will determine the final standings of the six contestants, the ties being based on their league positions prior to the play-offs.
As in previous years, the teams will focus mainly on sharpening up their forces in view of the main season due to start early in June.
San Ġiljan will be eyeing a third winter title despite some tweaking in the squad which will include former Neptunes goalkeeper Jake Tanti who replaces Joseph Sammut, now with Otters.
Apart from Clint Mercieca, who has signed for Sirens, Dino Zammit, Ben Plumpton and Andreas Galea, currently on a playing stint with the Serbian team Vojvodina, will probably be absent and replaced by others.
Otherwise, Matthew Zammit, Aurelien Cousin and Peter Borg should be their mainstays.
Eight-times winter title winners Sliema are hoping to make their usual impact on this pre-season competition.
The team may not be a finished product due to the drafting of several youngsters after the retirement of John Soler, the absence of Timmy Sullivan, who has rejoined Exiles, and that of John Brownrigg who moved to Sirens.
However, the signings from the northerners of the left-handed centre Zach Mizzi and Michael Spiteri Staines from Valletta should provide the Blues with alternative fire-power to add to that of Jerome Gabarretta, Mark Meli, Edward Aquilina, Alex Attard and Nicholas Bugelli.
The St Paul’s Bay team’s much-travelled coach Sergio Afric will want to turn a fresh page and help his boys have an honest crack against the bigger fry.
Sirens, three-time winners of the competition, possess a mixture of promising campaigners like Gabriel Pace and Marco Grech, veteran David Cutajar, and now Brownrigg and Mercieca besides some younger faces who should provide more balance and propulsion. They hope to start in positive fashion against Valletta.
The City team would very much like to improve on last year even if they rely mostly on the now widely-regarded seasoned tandem of Michael Cordina and Michael Rizzo.
New-look Exiles
In the absence of the Otters-bound Charlie Zammit the rest of the side may find it difficult to hold their own despite their resolve to perform well and make a smooth transition from the winter to the summer league.
A new-look Exiles will be facing nine-times winter champions Neptunes tomorrow morning.
The team from Sliema are this year marking the 50th anniversary since their inception and they will be eager to lift themselves off the pedestrian base they have occupied for so long in the top division.
Sullivan and former Neptunes player Michele Stellini, who surprisingly came out of retirement, should give the squad a steadier look as should Sean Xerri de Caro, a Neptunes product who bounced back after a dormant 2016 season. They also have goalkeper Matthew Castillo.
The Balluta team have been considered to be a hard nut to crack mostly in the last 15 years when they won several honours including last year’s unexpected league title.
There are no drastic changes in their squad, once more guided by expert coach Zoran Maslovar. Captain Niki Lanzon, Jordan Camilleri and Alan Borg Cole will be the team’s backbone helped by the younger proteges.
Star performer Steve Camilleri, currently playing for CC Ortigia, will not be available for the April competition.
Aside of Ian Buhagiar in goal, the return to their fold of Sean Gravina is bound to strengthen the team’s defensive lines as well as their shooting power.
Certainly, the next four weeks or so should present the waterpolo fans with good competition which again will be a perfect curtain-raiser to our main summer season.
Programme
Playing today: 6.30pm Sliema vs San Ġiljan; 7.45pm Sirens vs Valletta.
Tomorrow: 10.45am Neptunes vs Exiles; noon Malta Under-17 vs San Ġiljan.