TEENAGE water polo star Molly Pridham is not daunted by the prospect of lining up against much older and more experienced players at the Australian country championships.The 16-year-old Strathfieldsaye student is one of the youngest players selected in the open-age women’s Victorian country team that will contest the titles in Albury over Easter.But Molly is excited just to be given the chance to play at such a high level at this stage of her water polo career.“I was a little nervous trying out and quite surprised that I got in the team,” she said.”Hopefully, I can gain a lot of experience from the older players and really improve my game so I can bring those skills back into the Bendigo competition.”Molly was chosen to attend selection trials for the state team this month on the strength of her performance for Bendigo at the Victorian country championships in February.She was one of only two 16-year-olds selected in the final representative squad. Another local to make the side is former Bendigo resident Jacinta Streat (nee Reed), who now lives in Melbourne but still plays for her home town in country championships.While the national country tournament marks Molly’s state water polo debut, her representative duties do not end there.She is also in the Victorian country 17-and-under team that will play against a combined metropolitan side at the end of April.Water polo is very much a family affair in the Pridham household.Sisters Bonnie and Lily are both members of the 14-and-under Victorian country side that is involved in a similar metro challenge match and Bonnie has made the whole-state Victorian under-14 water polo team for the past two years.Dad Bruce plays locally and is president of the Bendigo Water Polo Association.The family is also involved in the Essendon Water Polo Club, where the older girls play in women’s state league two and youth girls divisions.