Stingers see home cup as chance to grow legacy

Australia's women's water polo team believes the World Cup finals in Sydney is another chance to grow the group's reputation. The Stingers were Australia's best-performing team at the Paris Olympics, winning silver. What's next? Australia's women's and men's teams are in the quarterfinals of the World Cup finals, with the women facing Italy in Wednesday and the men taking on Spain on Thursday. Australia's best-performing Paris Olympics team see Sydney's World Cup finals as a way to stay in the conversation outside the Games cycle. The Stingers, Australia's women's water polo team, romped to silver in the Paris pool in somewhat of a surprise result that trumped any other team performance. It was their best effort since clinching gold in Sydney in women's water polo's Games debut and followed bronze medals in 2008 and 2012. Coach Bec Rippon was part of the team in Beijing and also won the World Cup with the Stingers in 2006. "We're a team that everyone talks about come Olympic times," she said from their Brisbane training base on Tuesday. "That Sydney 2000 team always comes up and that was something for Paris that we talked about. "Everyone goes back to Sydney and not all the results in between, so it was about, 'How are we going to create our own legacy?'" Their journey to the final did resonate in Paris and the team, together for less than two weeks after many Stingers completed seasons in Europe, have lapped up the support at schools around Brisbane ahead of the World Cup. "People did get on board in Paris again, it was a nice re-entry and now it's our job to stay in people's minds," Rippon said. There's a target on their backs after a breakout effort in Paris and there will be no margin for error in Sydney when they begin with a quarterfinal against Italy on Wednesday. "I love the tough games, that's why we're here," she said. "If you won every game easily what's the excitement in that? "We want to force teams to play at their absolute best and if they're better you can handle that." The women's and men's Cups — Australia's Sharks will also be in action — will run concurrently and demand for tickets has delighted Water Polo Australia. Bronte Halligan, a Sydney junior, will captain the side after Zoe Arancini's retirement last year. AAP The ABC of SPORT Sports content to make you think... or allow you not to. A newsletter delivered each Saturday.