Arabic version: ناثان باور يوازن بين الأبوة وقيادة شاركس

According to ABC News, Australian Sharks captain Nathan Power will lead the men’s water polo team at the World Aquatics Water Polo World Cup Finals in Sydney this week while taking six months of parental leave from his job as a manager with KPMG.

Power, 33, is spending the leave caring for his son Sebastian and said the opportunity to take time to be a father was special. The Sharks are due to play reigning world champions Spain on Thursday, with Power set to captain the side in his home town.

The team’s preparation has included a new family dynamic. Power said it was the first time during his time with the men’s team that a baby had been on tour. Teammate Blake Edwards also has his son Jude with the group, and Power said players had quickly moved into “dad mode” to help.

Coach Tim Hamill said the presence of children had changed the group’s dynamic positively. He said family was one of the team’s values and described care within the squad as essential if Australia was to compete at the highest level.

Power said support from KPMG and Water Polo Australia had enabled both him and his partner, Maddy, to continue pursuing their careers while spending meaningful time with Sebastian. He said fatherhood had “massively” changed his perspective, particularly as he considered himself closer to the end than the start of his playing career.

The World Cup Finals mark the first major water polo championships hosted by Australia since the 2007 World Championships in Melbourne, and the first combined event staged in Sydney since the 2000 Olympics. Power said the squad recognised the importance and rarity of competing at home in front of friends and family.