Top gong for Manawatū water polo player
Rising Manawatū water polo player Cole Phillips has been named the best male player in New Zealand.
Phillips, 18, was named the male player of the year at the New Zealand water polo awards in Auckland on Saturday, believed to be the first time an athlete from Manawatū has won the award.
He finished at Palmerston North Boys’ High School at the end of last year and has moved to North Harbour to further his playing career.
In the middle of the year he is heading to Europe so he can play at the highest level. He didn’t have a team confirmed yet, but was likely to play for a second division club then work his way up.
Last year Phillips was in the New Zealand under-20 team that went to the world championships in Romania and was one of the top players in the team despite being 18.
He was also in the New Zealand under-19 team that went to the Australia state championships in Perth, finishing fifth. The New Zealand side also beat the Australian under-18s 3-0 in a test series. He was the captain and top goal scorer.
Phillips is is a strong defender but has worked on developing the scoring side of his game. To do this he would shoot at least 100 shots on an almost daily basis.
He was in the Manawatū senior men’s team and was most-valuable player, the Manawatū under-18 captain and mostvaluable player, the Boys’ High captain and most-valuable player. He also played for the Waikato under-21 team.
Part of the New Zealand award was also for his commitment to the game and work ethic.
Phillips is heavily involved in coaching and refereeing. He coached the Manawatū under-16 boys and ran training sessions for other players.