Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
NZ NZ

Kearns taking famous name to Tokyo

By AAP
Phil Kearns /Getty

It was fitting that Matilda Kearns was in the backyard with father and former Wallabies captain Phil last week, when the 20-year-old learned of her selection in Australia’s water polo team for the Tokyo Olympics.

ADVERTISEMENT

Kearns is one of seven Olympic debutantes in the 13-strong team for the 2021 Games.

Bronte Halligan, who is the daughter of former New Zealand rugby league international Daryl, and goalkeeper Gabi Palm, whose father Mitchell Palm toured Canada and France with the Wallabies in 1989, will also be competing at their first Olympics.

Stingers coach Predrag Mihailovic made the calls last Tuesday.

“There were a lot of waterworks and dad went straight inside and popped open a special bottle of champagne that he’d been saving for a special moment,” Matilda Kearns told AAP.

Video Spacer

Spirit of Rugby | Episode 2 | RugbyPass

Video Spacer

Spirit of Rugby | Episode 2 | RugbyPass

“I’ve wanted to be an Olympian for as long as a I can remember.”

It is easy to assume that dream could have potentially been fulfilled on the rugby sevens field after Aus tralia’s unforgettable triumph at Rio 2016.

Kearns grew up idolising her father, who was part of World Cup winning squads in 1991 and 1999, while her brothers’ love of rugby union also ensured she was “surrounded by” the sport while growing up.

But it quickly became clear that water polo was her passion.

“I’m definitely not a land person, I belong in the water,” Kearns said.

“In another life, I’d absolutely love to play rugby sevens or any kind of rugby.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Kearns, who declared Australia “absolutely have the spirit, resilience and talent” required to win their first gold medal in the sport since Sydney 2000, added that life lessons imparted by her dad were vital in securing a ticket to Tokyo.

“My dad is my hero. He’s taught me the meaning of hard work, discipline and other things,” she said.

“He never sat me down and was like ‘this is how you do it, this is how to be an athlete, do this and do that’.

“It was more watching such a good a nd motivational role model… I always looked up to him and wanted to be like him.

ADVERTISEMENT

“I used to Google his name when I was young because the stories he’d tell us weren’t enough.

“But it is a completely different sport, so it’s good he can’t tell me what to do when I’m actually playing.”

Bronwen Knox will become the first Australian woman to compete in water polo at four Olympics.

The 33-year-old Rowie Webster will captain Australia at her third Olympics, while Rio Olympians Zoe Arancini, Keesja Gofers, Hannah Buckling and Lea Yanitsas return for their second Games.

Australia’s campaign starts on July 24, with European champions Spain, Netherlands, Canada and South Africa also in Pool A.

ADVERTISEMENT

Join free

Aotearoa Rugby Podcast | Episode 6

Sam Warburton | The Big Jim Show | Full Episode

Japan Rugby League One | Sungoliath v Eagles | Full Match Replay

Japan Rugby League One | Spears v Wild Knights | Full Match Replay

Boks Office | Episode 10 | Six Nations Final Round Review

Aotearoa Rugby Podcast | How can New Zealand rugby beat this Ireland team

Beyond 80 | Episode 5

Rugby Europe Men's Championship Final | Georgia v Portugal | Full Match Replay

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

J
Jon 9 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

35 Go to comments
FEATURE
FEATURE Andy Christie: 'Diversity breeds strength in a group rather than weakness' Andy Christie: 'Diversity breeds strength in a group rather than weakness'
Search