NORTHERN Inland Football Under 12 and 13s have a chance to show their blossoming talents on a bigger stage at Scully Park on Sunday.
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The combined team plays North Coast Under 13s in a curtainraiser from noon before a 2pm kickoff to the A League trial between Newcastle Jets and Central Coast Mariners.
On Wednesday night, some of the side played the North Companions Under 17s in a trial game at Johnson Field, Gipps Street.
The North Companions side, which is headed to Inverell for Monday’s start of the Joeys Mini World Cup, won that trial, North Companions Under 17 coach Jason Cannon said.
“It was a fantastic trial for both sides – the boys all had a ball,” Cannon said.
His side returns to Inverell for a fourth time on Monday with a tough opening day.
The NIF juniors also showed they will give the North Coast Under 13s a good run on Sunday.
NIF executive officer Dino perizzolo said the combined side would be missing four of its young stars on Sunday.
“Harrison Taylor, Will Menz, Ben Gamlin and Jack Diebold are all going to Coffs Harbour with the Northern NSW Country Under 13s for the FFA National Youth Championships for Boys.
“We have those four in the 13s and Sam Fullwood, Cody McCann and Brodie Patterson in the NNSW Under 14 Country side.
“They all start on Monday over in Coffs.”
Fullwood and Patterson are from Tamworth and McCann is the lone Armidale
representative.
In the NNSW Country 13s, Taylor, Gamlin and Diebold are all from Tamworth, with Menz hailing from Werris Creek.
“With those four all out of the 13s we combined the 12s and 13 together to play the North Coast in the curtainraiser,” Perizzolo said.
“It’s going to be a good game for them to showcase their
talents.”
Armidale’s Andy Lennon, who coached the North Armidale Redmen in this year’s Premier League, is the coach of the NNSW Country 14s when the prestigious championships begin in the Coffs Harbour International Stadium on Monday.
“Northern NSW Football is privileged to host the FFA National Youth Championships for Boys which sees Australia’s best young male talent come together to gauge their abilities against their counterparts from fellow States,” NNSWF chief executive officer David Eland said.
“With a technical panel consisting of FFA coaching staff in attendance throughout the week, the championships provide young players with the opportunity for identification for future Australian team camps.”
More than 400 of Australia’s best young male footballers in the Under 13s and Under 14s divisions will participate in the tournament, with 26 teams from around Australia contesting the two age divisions.
NNSW UNDER 13 COUNTRY (Coach - Vic Stokes, Assistant - Larry Budgen): Ethan Archer (Suffolk Park), Jack Diebold (Tamworth), Ty Dwyer (Lismore), Ben Gamlin (Tamworth), Macabe Grass (Taree), Jarrah Hall-Hart (Tyagarah), Will Menz (Werris Creek), Tom Pitman (Goonellabah), Sam Preston (Mullumbimby), Hayden Purkiss (Boambee East), Riley Smith (Port Macquarie), Xavier Sproule (Toormina), Oscar Stahl (Lismore), Noah Stokes (Corndale), Harrison Taylor (Calala), Angus Thurgate (Port Macquarie)
NNSW UNDER 14 COUNTRY (Coach - Andy Lennon, Assistant - Brian Linsley): Kossi Adjikou (Coffs Harbour), Mitchell Brewster (Bellingen), Eli Cosic (Stuarts Point), Sam Fulwood (Tamworth), Patrick Hamilton (Wauchope), Harry James (Kempsey), Ryan Johnson (Port Macquarie), Jesse Kerfoot (Kempsey), Michael Kita (Coffs Harbour), Cody McCann (Armidale), Lucas Mepham (Taree), Brodie Patterson (Tamworth), Kane Pollard (Port Macquarie), Declan Salmon (Glenreagh), Dominic Weaver (East Ballina), Nick Wright (Aldavilla).
