A host of Wagga youngsters tested themselves against the nation’s best late last week when they suited up for NSW Country at the National Futsal Championships in Canberra.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The under 17 girls - which featured Cootamundra’s Elissa Armstrong and Wagga’s Christina Grauer-Kompos - were particularly impressive.
They made it through to the elimination final where they defeated Capital Football 2-1, before ultimately going down to NSW Thunder, the state’s strongest metro team, in the semi-final.
Coach Liam Dedini, who completes the squad’s Riverina trifecta, said he was impressed with the effort displayed by his troops.
“Our work rate was the main thing that stood out,” Dedini said.
“We had five subs to work with so we were able to rotate players a lot and the girls just went for it.”
There was no finals action forthcoming for the remaining teams, but the under 14 boys - which featured Wagga’s Fawaz Shani-Baqi, Kai Watts and Cooper Stormonth - impressed by snaring a pair of wins over Queensland Metro, prevailing 4-1 and 3-2.
Meanwhile, the under 12 boys' campaign was highlighted by a 7-3 win over Football West Gold Swans.
Wagga Futsal president Sam Gray said the local players would return to the local competition with invaluable experience under their belts.
