Not only are Sydney Catholic Schools Alumni making a splash in the swimming pool but two ex-students of De La Salle Caringbah are members of our Australian Men’s Water Polo team that competed at the Paris Olympics.
Angus Lambie attended De la Salle Caringbah, finishing in 2014, and then doing his HSC at De La Salle Cronulla (now St Aloysius). Matthew Byrnes also attended De La Salle Caringbah finishing in 2014.
Both players are local juniors beginning their water polo journey at the powerful Cronulla Water Polo club. The Cronulla Water Polo Club has provided many Olympians over the years and at this Olympics alone there are eight past and present Cronulla players in the Australian water polo teams.
Angus and Matthew currently play for the UNSW Wests Water Polo Club in the Australian Water Polo Competition (AWPL).
Angus fell in love with Water polo at age 11, preferring the team aspect of water polo over swimming. He joined the UNSW club after completing his schooling winning the 2017 and 2019 AWPL Competition and being rewarded with his first Australian selection in 2019.
In 2023 Angus played in the World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan where Australia finished 10th. Angus saw his re-selection last year as a second chance to prove himself as an Australian representative and his selection in the Olympic team was well deserved.
Matthew also attended De La Salle Caringbah for a period time. While at Caringbah, Matthew represented NSWCCC in Water Polo. Matthew got his first taste of international water polo when he was selected for Australia for the 2019 FINA Men’s Junior water Polo Championships in Kuwait where Australia finished 11th.
Matthew made his Senior debut for the Aussie Sharks at the FINA World Super Final in France against reigning World Champions, Spain in 2022 as the 250th to represent Australia’s Water Polo team or the Sharks as they are affectionately known.
The Sharks had a reasonably successful Olympic Campaign qualifying for the Quarter Finals after solid wins in the preliminary rounds over Serbia, France, Japan, Hungary. The only loss in the rounds was to Spain 9-5 in the opening round.
Unfortunately, they were narrowly defeated on penalties by the United States 4-3 after the match finished a draw. It was clear on the faces of the players the disappointment of this heart wrenching loss.
It is definitely worth noting that Australia defeated two of the four semi-finalists, Serbia and Hungary, in the preliminary matches illustrating how close this team came to be amongst the medals in. Ultimately, the men’s team finished eighth in its competition in Paris.
Along with all alumni at both the Olympics and Paralympics staff at Sydney Catholic Schools are extremely proud of these young men and wish them all the best in their future sporting endeavours.
With water polo a regular Term 1 weekly sport for Sydney Catholic Schools students we hope to see more SCS students possibly representing Australia in the sport of water polo in Los Angeles in 4 years’ time or on home soil in Brisbane in 2032.