Gonzalito Pieres first Triple Crown win…
It feels great to have beaten our rivals, La Dolfina, and it is an incredible feeling to have won the Triple Crown. It is my first Triple Crown, and hopefully not the last one!
La Dolfina were the team that beat us (Ellerstina) in 2005, 2007 & 2009, so it makes this Triple Crown win even more special to finally beat them. It is ultimately what we train every day for, and it is also nice that I can now follow in the footsteps of my father (Gonzalo Pieres Snr). We have been so close before, so for me it is a dream come true.
The game was really close. La Dolfina’s goals were coming from mistakes made by us and they were shooting from really far away, and I think three of their goals came from situations like that – that is not normal. We knew that they were under a lot of pressure, and that they couldn’t get near to our goal so they were just trying their luck. Yes, we were attacking a lot, but more importantly our defence was brilliant and we were marking them so well, and I think that this was a big reason why we won the Final.
The rivalry between Ellerstina and La Dolfina…
There is rivalry between the two teams because of the amount of finals that we have contested, but I also think that this rivalry is healthy competition. We have always been the best two teams in Argentina, and polo fans have started to like that – it has made polo more emotional.
The win against La Dolfina was a perfect way to finish a great season. We knew that the team would be splitting before we started playing together this year, so we were even more determined to end in the best way possible. The team has been really strong since the first game of the Tortugas Open, both in attack and defence, and in my opinion it was the best season since I have been playing with Ellerstina. We knew that the team could achieve everything that we planned to, and we believed in ourselves 100%. Our plan worked perfectly!
Rain stops play…
I actually slept better on Saturday night than I did on Friday night, so with that in mind, the interruption in the game didn’t affect me mentally. Neither did the weather seem to have any effect on the crowd’s mood – they were amazing on Saturday and Sunday, and we also owe the win to them for their fantastic support and the atmosphere that they created throughout the weekend.
Something like this (the Final being played over two days because of the weather) has never happened to me before, and as far as I know it has never happened in an Argentine Open. It was a strange situation but it was a relief that we were able to finish the game on the Sunday, and also to maintain our winning mentality. For us to keep our composure shows how strong Ellerstina really is.
Memories of 2010 and plans for 2011…
Obviously the birth of my daughter, Violeta, was a very special memory for me – maybe it was her who brought the team some luck this year! Other than that I think a fond memory was hearing the final bell of the Argentine Open – knowing that Ellerstina had won the Triple Crown!
My plan is now to rest for a few days over Christmas and the New Year, and then to go to Palm Beach in the USA to join their season. It has been an incredible year for us, and also with the birth of my daughter, it will be nice to spend some time with my family.
Renowned Polo player, Gonzalo Pieres Jr, is a 10-goal handicapper and a Rolex Testimonee