This year’s BOV waterpolo winter league will be splashing off this evening at the National Pool as the first clash in a programme due to end on May 4, will have title holders Sliema coming up against San Ġiljan in what is surely a big match considering both teams’ aspirations.
This competition, intended as a muscle-flexing build-up for players ahead of the plum season which starts in June, may not have the same allure of the main summer contests.
Nevertheless, we know from previous years that the agonistic element eventually emerges as the winter programme unfolds and draws to a close.
There are eight teams on the 2013 starting line, with Neptunes, seven, and Sliema six-times winners, again set to be the foremost front-runners for the title as they possess strong squads with a blend of young and seasoned players.
The Reds and the Blues will be guided by Sergey Markoch and Sergio Afric respectively.
Both teams have made important acquisitions.
The summer champions ob-tained the services of Exiles’ goalkeeper Alan Borg Cole and runners-up Sliema that of utility player Timmy Sullivan, also from Exiles, as well as Edward Aquilina from Neptunes, the latter two to make up for the absence of Paul Privitera and Clint Debono who both retired.
Karl Izzo’s San Ġiljan can be regarded as hot contenders, given their balanced oufit.
However, when facing the Blues they will not be spearheaded by Matthew Zammit since the player will be serving a 15-day sus-pension (1st to 15th March) which was brought forward from last year according to competition rules.
Sirens, this year again led by Italian coach Marco Risso, will bank on some of their emerging talent, players who helped the club win junior honours in recent seasons, besides a couple of well-tried units.
An absentee in their match against Valletta on Sunday will be Dino Zammit after a suspension which was also brought forward from 2012.
Exiles, playing Neptunes on Sunday, may not be very am-bitious, title-wise, since they intend making use of up-and-coming players in order to give them more experience. The competition should help their coach Aurelien Cousin gauge his squad’s potential in preparation for sterner tests in the hot months.
After the departure of Borg Cole and Sullivan, Exiles will have goal-keeper Ian Bugeja, signed from Neptunes, to partially make up for these absences.
The other contestants are Valletta and Marsaxlokk. Despite having some new faces, their aspirations do not go beyond being as competitive as possible.
The southerners, back in the fray after an absence of two years, will eye this competition as a stepping stone towards gradually rehabilitating themselves as a top-notch side in the second-tier of our national leagues.
The ASA junior selection, playing out of competition, will treat their matches as a build-up towards the European Junior Championship to be held in Malta in September.
The team, under the charge of Anthony Farrugia, will face Marsaxlokk in the second fixture today and thereafter their commitments are scheduled for the later match every Friday.
Meanwhile, the ASA has announced that players of non-Maltese nationality are eligible to participate in this year’s Winter League since the amendment to bar foreigners from playing was not approved after a re-vote during the AGM.
PROGRAMME
Today: 6.45pm Sliema vs San Ġiljan; 8pm Marsaxlokk vs ASA Juniors.
Sunday:10.45am Neptunes vs Exiles; noon Sirens vs Valletta.