Australian water polo great Bronwen Knox headhunted to play starring role in 2023 Australian Water Polo League

Australian water polo great Bronwen Knox has been head-hunted to WA to play a starring role in the coming 2023 Australian Water Polo League season.

Queensland-based Knox, Australia’s only four-time female Olympic water polo player, will play as a gun-for-hire for the UWA Torpedoes in a recruiting coup designed to lift the profile of the WA sport.

The 36-year-old said she felt a responsibility to help grow the game that his given her world-wide renown, but she also said the State had already been widely recognised as a water polo champion maker.

She played many of her national record 394 games for Australia alongside WA stars such as Zoe Arancini, Gemma Beadsworth and Glencora McGhie and said former national captain Aaron Younger had been a fine ambassador the the State’s sport.

“WA has definitely produced some amazing players,” Knox said.

“Being quite removed, it’s been difficult to see WA water polo, so it’s fantastic to see the strength of that pathway. They have always turned up at full strength to every single game, they understand the game and the players are always of high quality.

“So it’s great to come over here and see what it’s like first-hand. Hopefully, I can contribute to it in some small way as well.”

Knox, a former Australian captain and one of the best players of her generation, made her national debut in 2005 and won gold, two silvers and a bronze at various FINA World Cups, as well as two silvers and a bronze at FINA’s World Championships. She had dreamed at the age of seven of being an Olympic swimmer before later switching to water polo after watching the finals of the 2000 Sydney Games, initially playing in a team of boys.

She said the chance to play in WA allowed her to extend her career after recently announcing her retirement from international competition.

“I spent 20 years developing skills that I’d hate to just give up and let them go to waste, so it’s good to be able to come over here and also work with some of the junior players,” she said.

“I never thought I’d have the long career I’ve had and to be the first female to go to four Olympics has been an amazing achievement. The sport has everything us Australians like, but I don’t think it has been marketed as well as it possibly could have.

“There’s plenty of opportunity in it even for those who don’t aspire to be an Australian national team member.”

Torpedoes chief executive Frank Di Costa said snaring Knox was a significant achievement for the club.

“She brings with her experience, professionalism and she is a level-headed individual,” Di Costa said.

“Our head coach Damien Kelly was keen to add some experience and maturity to our relatively young squad so having a four-time Olympian like Bronwen playing with them will advance their development considerably. She will be a great asset to the club and to have someone of her status around the club will be a historic experience.”

Knox, who recently took up an integrity position in Australian combat sport, said she remained committed to helping modern elite athletes have a stronger say in the direction of their careers. She said conditions had improved through her career, but there was still room to give the athletes’ voice more power.

“Coaches preach that you’ve got to be a part of your own journey, yet the decisions are always taken out of your hands,” said Knox, who is chairs Water Polo Australia’s Athletes Commission.

“Having athletes have their say and that consultation is such a huge piece to get them involved and make them a part of the process and a part of the sport as a whole, rather than just a product of it. There is always room for improvement, but it’s definitely shifting from a tick-the-box activity to a more value-driven process.

“That procedural fairness has always driven me.”

Knox said both the Australian men’s and women’s teams were in a rebuilding phase, exposing younger players to the elite level of the sport.

The AWL season opener between Torpedoes and Fremantle will be at HBF Stadium on January 27.