Ifill tips side to upset rivals

GREAT EXPECTATIONS: Liam Hare is a star player for Heartland Wairarapa. PHOTO/FILE

COACH Paul Ifill knows the challenges facing his Heartland Wairarapa squad in this year's national youth football league, which kicks off next month.

Up against the top age group players from bigger centres such as Auckland, Wellington and Canterbury, they will start rank underdogs in most matches but that does not faze Ifill, who is confident there is enough raw potential in his line-up to cause a few surprises along the way.

"The big aim is to be competitive and I can't see any reason why that shouldn't be the case," he said. "It's all about getting the best out of what we've got, do that and we should get our share of good results."

The lack of Wairarapa players in the Heartland squad was a talking point among the Wairarapa footballing fraternity last year but that will not be the case for the 2015 campaign.

Of the 21 players named by Ifill, 12 are from Wairarapa, three from Lower Hutt, two from Tawa and Petone and one each from Karori and Lower Hutt.

Ifill said the strong numerical representation from Wairarapa was indicative of how much talent there was in the province.

"We've got a good group of youngsters here and being exposed to a higher level of football will have huge future benefits for them, and Wairarapa football in general.

"The bottom line though is they all deserve to be there, they made it on their merits."

The style of football to be played by Heartland Wairarapa will resemble that of Wairarapa United, who Ifill coached to second place in this year's Central League.

This would encompass their attacking play being built around quick, accurate movement of the ball and they would be asked to take an assertive stance on defence.

One of the stars of the Wairarapa United CL side, Liam Hare, will also be expected to shine for Heartland Wairarapa. He will probably be at the centre of the midfield while another leading light should be Taylor Hall-Jones of Lower Hutt, a former national age group rep who is the only over-age player named to date.

At least one other can be included and Ifill may take up that role if the rules allow.

The Heartland Wairarapa squad is: Dylan Wood (Karori), Taylor Hall-Jones (Lower Hutt), Ryan Benson, Shea Stapleton (Petone), Tim Fenton, Tom Scott (Tawa), Matthew Springgay, Ben Blake, Stephen Thomas (Lower Hutt), Alex Cox, Liam Hare, Tom Simpson, Alex Britton, Liam Kerr, Samuel O'Riley, Josh McMenamin, Callan Elliot, Pranay Singh, John Weidling, Stephen Sprowson, Tom Wagner (Wairarapa).

A development squad consisting of players who are seen as being future members of the Heartland Wairarapa line-up has also been named. They consist of nine Wairarapa players - Corban Parker, Flynn Everingham, Simon Mazey, Ben Saywell, Liam Heard, Anthony Sprowson, Miller Paton-Masters, Ant Havard and Matthew Pledger - and Brandon Postlethwaite of Upper Hutt.