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Home / Northland Age

Teen scouted and destined to go far

Northland Age
3 Sep, 2013 03:25 AM2 mins to read

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A young Kaitaia footballer has been called up to attend a national camp in Auckland next month.

View Rungpao, aged 15, will attend the National Talent Centre (NTC) camp in Auckland in October along with 20 other boys from the upper North Island, one of three NTCs being held simultaneously around the country at the same time - the other two are in Wellington and Christchurch - with the aim being to select the squad for the under-17 world cup in 2015.

Rungpao has long been a standout player in the various competitions he's participated in for the past three years; enjoying a remarkable season with the Kaitaia United Justa Plumber side in the Northland men's 1st division championship, helping the Kaitaia College 1st XI win division one of the midweek secondary schoolboys' competition, and also playing provincially for the North Force under-15 side which contested the Auckland Football Federation Metro 15th grade competition on Sundays.

He first came to selectors' attention by standing out in the NAKFA social 7-a-side social summer soccer tournament in Kaitaia in 2011 where, seemingly knee-high-to-a-grasshopper only two seasons previously, he routinely danced his way around bigger and more experienced players as if the ball was tied to his bootlaces.

He was one of four players from the North Force U15 boys team to be sent to a recent Talent on Location (TOL) day used to identify potential players for the NTC.

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Other Northland youth players currently making an impression - having been selected for their age grade in their respective NTCs earlier - include Whangarei's Lewis Miller (apparently destined to go far), and Kerikeri's Nada Walker (in the goalkeeper position).

The camps hold trials and grade players, dropping approximately the bottom 20 per cent until a squad is settled on. As a rare, left-sided player, Rungpao was described by selectors as "very strong on the ball"for his age and in possession of good technique. If he continues to make the NTC squad, he may be required to attend school in Auckland.

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