The 2015 season looks promising for the young Fire players involved in State Programs.
Under 13 Girls players Aimee Scott, Lissa Taft and Meisha Westland along with Under 15 Girls player Aqua Meanie have been selected as full-time squad members for the QAS/NTC, and Under 14 Boys player Jesse Gibbs has been selected as full-time squad member for the NTC Challenge, while Under 15 Boys goalkeeper Josh Wall has been selected as a shadow player. Gibbs and Wall, along with Under 13 Boys midfielder Oliver Duncan are also trialling for QAS selection for 2015. Meanwhile, Under 16s player Timi Adu has been trialling with the Roar Youth Team.
Scott, Westland, Taft and Meanie were all selected to Queensland State Teams this year,and were invited to trial for the QAS/NTC over two weeks in July. They trialled with current QAS players and a number of other trialists under the guidance of Head Coach Mel Andreatta and Brisbane Roar’s Belinda Wilson.
The girls were selected to play for Queensland in the NTC Challenge in August before being selected into the QAS squad.
“I couldn’t believe I had been selected,” Taft said. “It was the best feeling in the world.”
Both girls said their experience at the Fire had stood them in good stead for selection into the QAS.
“My time at the Fire as part of the Under 13 Girls team really helped me prepare for QAS in terms of being focussed and being committed to training,” Taft explained.
The girls will start full-time training with the QAS in January.
Duncan, Wall and Gibbs were identified to trial for the QAS/NTC after playing for Queensland State Metro Teams in their respective age-groups in the National Youth Championships, held in Coffs Harbour in September. The boys now travel to Brisbane four times per week to trial for the QAS under the guidance of Coach Josh McCloughan, while Timi Adu has also been trialling for the Roar Youth Team.
Gibbs, Duncan and Wall all said they were excited to have the opportunity through the pathway to trial for QAS/NTC, which provided an intensive training environment.
“The coaches work on everything we are taught at Club level, at a very high intensity, with the same principles followed in the National Curriculum,” Duncan said.
“We work on first touch, positional play and game awareness, with lots of small sided games and defensive/transitional games.”
The boys described their time with the Fire in the NPL as a “great steeping stone” in preparation for QAS trials.
“Being part of a team of talented players and playing in the NPL has enabled us to progress as players,” Gibbs said.
Trails for selection into the QAS and Roar programs for next year will continue until December, and Wall and Gibbs will compete in the NTC Challenge in Canberra in the first week of December.
