Wheel Blacks fight for Paralympics spot

There is plenty riding on the New Zealand Wheel Blacks campaign at next week's IWRF Asia-Oceania championships and Northland's Cameron Leslie is amped to be a part of it.

The 21-year-old from Whangarei first took up wheelchair rugby five years ago, and was included in the 2011 Wheel Blacks 10-strong contingent to travel to South Korea for the Oceania tournament which is a qualifying tournament for next year's Paralympics.

"There are only four teams playing this year which is surprising - usually there are a lot more - but it is quite fortunate for us as it is a big ask to qualify," Leslie said.

To qualify, New Zealand need to finish first or second at the competition.

Following a disappointing world championships in Canada last year, New Zealand are ranked ninth in the world and will compete against Australia - who are ranked second in the world, the third-placed Japan team and host side Korea. So it is not an easy road to travel down.

If they qualify, NZ have the added perk of having their Sport and Recreation New Zealand funding reinstated, Leslie said.

He says, "It's been bloody hard having to pay for everything this year".

The Wheel Blacks have been building towards the Oceanias for almost a year, under the guidance of coach Peter Martin, who came on board following the world championships.

Martin, from Waikato, is a former Paralympian and as a coach has earned great respect among the players, Leslie said.

"He's been there and done everything ... and he has brought the game back to grassroots, and has brought in a lot of Maori culture. Doing the haka now means something to us and our on-court calls are in Maori, which is an advantage to us when we play English-speaking countries."

The team has come along way since last year's worlds, with everyone on the same page. Leslie says one of the major strengths the Kiwis possess is having three potential line-ups they could utilise throughout the tournament, depending on what team they face.

"We have two attacking type teams and one more which focuses on defence ... and there is genuine competition within the team to make the starting line-up."

Leslie modestly admitted he was knocking on the door for a spot in the starting line-up, saying the guy's position he was chasing was his good mate Curtis Palmer - who originally got Leslie involved in the sport.

It has been a massive year for the talented athlete who also represents New Zealand in swimming, and won a gold medal at the 2008 Paralympics in Beijing for his world record time 2m 33.57s in the men's 150m individual medley.

In August, Leslie contested the Pan Pacific swimming championships in Canada, where he won a gold medal in the men's 150m individual medley and silver in the 50m backstroke.

It has been a hard slog for Leslie, juggling swimming, wheelchair rugby and his AUT Communications degree studies this year, but if his team qualifies for the 2012 London Paralympics, it will all be worth it, he says.

Leslie and the Wheel Blacks fly out to Seoul, South Korea on Tuesday for the tournament which starts on November 2 and concludes November 10. Following the tournament, Leslie is taking a break in Thailand and returns home mid-November.

Wheel Blacks team: Barney Koneriferisi, Daniel Buckingham, (co-captain), Curtis Palmer, Cameron Leslie, Sholto Taylor, Tainafi Lefono, Christopher Lay, Jai Waite (co-captain), Gavin Rolton, Christopher Moore.