It is no doubt another big day for local waterpolo enthusiasts as there will be the two Super Cup matches this evening at the Tal-Qroqq national pool.
At 6.45pm, Ta’ Xbiex ASC will be meeting Marsascala meat.com.mt in the match for the Ghaqda Gurnalisti Sport (GhGS) Cup, while at 8pm, local giants Neptunes and Sliema face each other again for the President’s Cup.
The admission fee for the two matches will be as usual - €3.50 – but all the proceeds from today’s matches will go towards the Malta Community Chest Fund. It is to be noted that complimentary tickets and VIP passes are not valid for today’s matches.
It is the first time that the match for the GhGS Cup is being played for by teams who were successful in the second division last season. ASA president Joe Caruana Curran said yesterday the association wanted to give recognition to the second division clubs, especially those who were most successful.
As for the President’s Cup, it is in its 16th edition. Neptunes and Sliema won it five times each, Sirens four times and San Giljan once.
Charles Camenzuli, president of the GhGS, said the match has now been played for the last 25 years. Unfortunately the original trophy had been stolen from the Sliema club four years ago. It is played early in July as on every 2 July, the International Sports Press Association celebrates Sports Journalism Day.
Mario Zammit, Ta’ Xbiex coach made it clear that his side is relatively young and conceded that Marsascala are the favourites to land the honour. “We have young players from Sliema and Exiles playing for us this season. It will be a good opportunity for them to acquire more experience. Our main aim will be to do our best and enjoy ourselves playing the game,” he said.
Coaches Sergei Markoch and Sergio Afric then answered questions related to their clubs with regards to the President’s Cup.
Both said that the national team players should be fully recovered for this evening’s clash after their national team commitments last week.
Both coaches said they expected a tough match as is normal between the best two teams in Malta. Afric said he hoped that it will be another spectacular match between the two sides. “In the last encounter, the two defences seemed to be asleep, as they let in many goals. We will not have any psychological advantage over our rivals because of the Winter League win. Every match has its own story and I firmly believe the best team on the day will win,” he said.
Markoch congratulated Afric, who is also the national team coach, for the results of last week, but said his team was also looking forward with optimism. “We will be going out for a win. A Sliema-Neptunes match is something extraordinary in Maltese waterpolo. There are the best local players, the best foreigners, a large crowd is guaranteed. I expect another top class match this evening,” he said.
Asked whether it was something positive for Maltese waterpolo to see Sliema and Neptunes confronting each other possibly seven times or even more in the space of a few months, both coaches stated that it was good for waterpolo. (For the first time this year, the new format for the league includes the play-offs to determine the championship winner at the end of the competition).
ASA president Joe Caruana Curran was also of the same opinion adding that such games offer a better attraction, suspense and, perhaps, more pressure on the administrators.
Caruana Curran also said that for the first time, these matches will not be valid for Championship purposes. “No points will be won or lost in these matches. The focus is just on the particular honour,” he said.
Caruana Curran revealed that the association was not yet in a position to compensate the clubs at the end of the season. “The ASA registered an operational loss of €40,000 last year. Before a profit is registered we will not be in a position to discuss any sort of compensation with the clubs,” he declared.