Australian Water Polo Star Abby Andrews Reflects on European Success Ahead of World Cup in Sydney

Australia's women's water polo team, the Stingers, are no strangers to success.

Winning a silver medal at the Paris Olympics, the best performance by any Australian team at those Games, put the Stingers right in the upper echelons of their field.

It's what makes the World Aquatics Water Polo World Cup finals, being hosted in Australia from July 22-26 at the Sydney Aquatics Centre at Homebush, so exciting.

But the fact the Stingers are challenging at the top of the world rankings is no accident.

The entire team is packed with genuine superstars, playing in some of Europe's biggest clubs in the biggest competitions in the world.

Abby Andrews has proven herself to be one of the very best.

The 25-year-old left-handed shooter won the LEN European Champions League title with Greek giants Olympiacos earlier this year.

Not only that, but the Brisbane native was named the most valuable player in the Final Four tournament, scoring four goals in the semifinal and a fabulous five in the final.

"It was definitely an out-of-body experience," the 25-year-old told ABC Sport ahead of this week's World Aquatics Water Polo World Cup event in Sydney.

"I mean, as an Australian, we always look and we watch the Champions League finals every year and we always think, 'Oh, how cool would it be to be in that, let alone win?'

"I said to some of my [Stingers] teammates here in Australia when I got back, I don't think I've ever won anything.

"Actually being able to lift a cup and just the feeling of euphoria with that, and the celebrations and our massive fan base in Europe is insane …

"That was probably one of the coolest moments of my life. It was awesome."

Andrews's Olympiacos side beat Barcelona-based CN Mataró, featuring Stingers teammate Tilly Kearns, 14-12 in the semifinal, before downing Hungarian giants Ferencvárosi TC in the final by a score of 17-14.

"As the season went on, our team was really gaining strength," Andrews said.

"The semifinal was tough, but I think it was a great stepping stone for us.

"And then the final was brutal. We had lots of momentum swings but honestly, until the very end, we just completely stuck together."

The Final Four, held on the Mediterranean island of Malta, was an enormous occasion, the first time the men's and women's competitions were held at the same venue at the same time.

That allowed the women's teams to truly benefit from the enormous and fanatical support of their ultras.

"It's insane," Andrews admitted of the enormous support.

"I mean, certain games that we play will have flares. They'll have this massive police presence and you just never know like what the crowd's going to do; when they're going to start chanting, if they'll go quiet for a bit.

"It's just something we don't experience here.

"I think what's so cool about the European multi-sport organisations is that they're just fanatics, like, they are absolutely mad, but ultimately their presence is so lifting and we love playing in front of them.

"It's just such a different experience.

"And for women's water polo to get that kind of attention as well, both our men's and women's teams were in the Final Four and the men unfortunately lost the semi, so all the attention shifted to us and the fans just went, 'you know what, let's give [the support] to the women'."

Andrews joined Olympiacos, the enormous multi-sport club based in the Piraeus region of Athens better known for its football team, soon after winning Olympic silver in 2024.

Having already played overseas in the American college system and in Italy, Andrews has been exposed to the very best of the best for her entire career.

Being able to cap her second season by winning the biggest prize in club water polo underlines the fact that she is on the right track personally.

"I think each experience teaches you something different," Andrews said.

"Having that exposure against the European powerhouses and just playing them regularly, having camps with them is honestly so invaluable and it's been a huge addition to my game.

"I love bringing the new techniques that they have, because obviously some Europeans are different in size, strength, skill and you kind of just adopt new methods as you see them. So it's really fun.

"I think my latest one in Olympiacos, it being my second year, I was able to establish myself more in the systems that the Greek teams play and really settle into that, as well as just realising that I can also step up and have a really big attacking presence.

"It's just such a cool environment to be in and I love like learning about myself in those environments and how I can step up."

Andrews did accept that playing at such a huge club comes with enormous pressure, but that it was "kind of a good extra pressure to have".

Extra pressure is something that Andrews is hoping to embrace over the next week, as the Stingers look to show off their status as genuine world challengers in the World Aquatics Water Polo World Cup, starting in Sydney on Wednesday.

The world's top eight men's and women's national water polo teams will all compete at the event at the Sydney Aquatic Centre, the first time the city has hosted a major global water polo competition since the 2000 Olympics.

Sydney has twice hosted the World Cup finals before: the men's edition in 1999, won by Hungary; and the women's in 1995, won by the Aussies.

The Women's World Cup has also been hosted in Brisbane (1981) and Perth (2002).

But as much as the overall goal is to win the title in Sydney, emulating the Australian women's water polo team that won gold in the same Sydney Olympic Pool at the Sydney Games of 2000, filling the stands and inspiring others to follow in the Stingers' wake is just as important.

"I think this new generation coming through is so eager, I've never seen this kind of excitement from the younger kids coming through," Andrews said.

"I think it's already got such a good momentum and I think if we can really build on that and just fill the stands, get everyone there.

"You're going to be seeing some high-quality water polo from every team around the world, and being able to have this at home, who knows when we'll have this again, maybe not until Brisbane [2032].

"So while we've got this, let's use it. Everyone come down. I just think it's going to be such a spectacle."