Ilki Boyraz: 16-year-old centre midfielder becoming a key player at Kooty

For in Ilki Boyraz, a 16-year-old centre midfielder, the new Premier Division club sees their future.

So says Kougars coach Chris Jarrett, the man charged with nurturing that talent - along with the other 16-year-old in his lineup, Troy Schutt.

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Schutt was also the side's "future", he said.

"In two or three years' time," he continued, "these guys will be our key playmakers, they'll hopefully have leadership roles in the squad as well, and, to me, they're basically gonna be, for lack of a better word, our marquee players."

Jarrett said the Kougars could "build a club around those guys, who've got the stamina and the speed and the skills".

"And, really, what we're trying to develop with them now is more about their insight and communication," he said, adding that along with skill and speed, Boyraz and Schutt required "confidence and courage to play against the adults".

"Hat off the adults," he said, "who don't necessarily go out there to intimidate 16-year-olds ... the spirit of the game is, we are all aware that teams have got these young players who are developing."

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The teens, Jarrett continued, are the "inspiration" for the club's "13 and 14-year-old kids". Those younger players could "envision" themselves playing in the Premier Division one day; they can "see the link" between junior and senior soccer.

"And that's why our club was so keen to get in the Premier League," he said, "because it gave them [the players] a pathway." It also reduced the risk, he added, of Kooty players joining other clubs.

Jarrett is the ideal person to nurture young talent, having previously coached junior sides at the club while also mentoring and managing juniors at Northern Inland Football.

On Saturday at Riverside 3, Kootingal play North Companions for the Bob Barber Shield. The match will be a continuation of Boyraz's steep learning curve. He was in year 7 at Farrer when he left South United to join Kootingal in order to play with mates.

Schutt was in the same year at Farrer as him, and joined the Kougars the following season. Now in year 10 at Farrer, Boyraz said he had enjoyed this season "a lot".

"I've learnt a lot of things and become so much better - just playing against tougher opponents," he said.

It was a "great feeling", he said, knowing that he could hold his own against men. And the club thinking so highly of him was "really good".