Australian Sharks captain Nathan Power's changed perspective ahead of World Aquatics Water Polo World Cup Finals
Australian water polo captain Nathan Power is balancing his professional athletic career with parental leave, bringing his son to team training camps. This shift has fostered a supportive 'dad mode' culture within the national team as they prepare for the World Cup.
Why it matters
The story highlights the evolving intersection of professional sports, parental leave, and work-life balance for elite athletes.
Nathan Power with his partner Maddy and son Sebastian, celebrate UNSW Wests Magpies' victory in the Australian Water Polo League. ( Supplied: Water Polo Australia )
Link copied Share Share article Water polo is a brutal sport.
Relentless swimming. Incessant wrestling. Elbows and fists flying around as if the combatants were half-submerged within a flooded UFC cage.
To put it mildly, it is not a place for the faint of heart.
So it is somewhat incongruous, then, to see Australian Sharks captain Nathan Power sitting on the side of the Griffith University pool on the Gold Coast with his son, Sebastian in his arms, feeding him a bottle.
Power, 33, will lead the Australian men's water polo team at the World Aquatics Water Polo World Cup event in Sydney this week, with the Sharks taking on reigning world champions Spain on Thursday.
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