Back: Andrew Murray and Jake Shaked. Front: Daniel Griffin and Hamish Van Dieken.
Camera IconBack: Andrew Murray and Jake Shaked. Front: Daniel Griffin and Hamish Van Dieken. Credit: Supplied/Supplied

Mandurah soccer players to feature in National Youth Championships

Declan ByrneMandurah Coastal Times

Andrew Murray, Jake Shaked, Daniel Griffin and Hamish Van Dieken are members of the Under 13s squad selected by Football West to play against the best talent in Australia.

Hard work and dedication is a constant for all four boys, with Andrew, Jake and Hamish travelling regularly to Perth as part of Perth Glory’s Under-14 NPL squad.

Daniel, who plays in goal, usually turns out for Rockingham City, but has also been travelling to Perth to train with the NYC squad.

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Hamish said all the boys were thoroughly committed to the sport and representing WA was a reward.

“We all train hard and for us Mandurah boys, we have to travel to Perth for training, so there is a lot of commitment by ourselves and our parents,” he said.

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“Getting into the national team and representing WA is the reward for all of this.

“Representing the state is an honour and the experience of competing against the best in Australia is pretty exciting.”

He said he was looking forward to seeing how he and his teammates stacked up against the other states.

“It will be great to see where our team stands in relation to other state squads in our same age group, and on a personal level, it will give us all an understanding of where we are in terms of development and skill,” Hamish said.

The Football West side will open the tournament on October 3 against Victoria Metro before games against Queensland Metro, Northern NSW Metro, Capital Football, South Australia and NSW Metro Blue over the following week.