JUNIOR SPORT - Players look to impress

The Northland under-15 representative rugby league team were on fire on September 8 as they beat Northcote 32-20 at Otaika Park.
The team, coached by one of Northland's top players Joe Rau, was in rampant form as they dominated their opponents - one of four teams that made the trip up from Auckland to continue the Northland's juniors' representative season.
For most of the Northland age-grade teams last weekend's matches in Hopuhopu against Waikato were their final representative fixtures of the season, however for the under-15s there is still plenty to prepare for.
The under-15 side begin their defence of the Northern Districts championship title with a regional tournament in Rotorua on September 24.
For the players involved this will be an opportunity to bring home some silverware but there is also another good reason to play well in Rotorua - the possibility of selection in the Northern Districts representative team.
Selection would mean a further chance to impress national selectors and get noticed by player agents and move into contention for places in next year's under-16 junior Kiwis side.
Most of the age-grade teams were in action against Northcote teams at Otaika Park on September 8. The under-13s were well beaten by their formidable Northcote counterparts but it was a different story in the under-11s clash. The Northland team secured the win in a very close game. The visitors established a good lead early on, only for the home side to dig deep and narrow the winning margin to a single try.
Northcote played a Far North selection as well as a Whangarei team in the under-9 competition, with each of the teams gaining one win out of two in the round robin competition.
Meanwhile, many of the Northland representatives in the Northern Districts under-18 team - Kieron Wihongi-Henare, Jarom Wihongi-Henare, Shane Pumipi, Blair Young, Cruz Neho, Elroy Pure, Caleb Henare, Ryan Fish and Sam Herbert - are likely to be in action at the Kiwi under-18 trials on September 23, ahead of the Junior Kiwis two tests against the Australian Schoolboys on September 29 at Mt Smart Stadium and at Rotorua's International Stadium on October 6.