Welcome to Wonderkid Watch: A weekly piece that keeps you up to date with the players and stories emerging from A-Leagues clubs playing at NPL level in Australia.
Adelaide’s next teen star turning heads in the NPL
Adelaide United may already have found their Nestory Irankunda replacement and he is already at the club.
Irankunda is set to move to Bayern Munich at the end of the 2023-24 Isuzu UTE A-League season after signing a contract with the German giants last year but Adelaide’s famed production line already has an exciting prospect emerging to fill the 18-year-old’s boots – his name is Amlani Tatu.
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The 15-year-old is highly regarded in South Australia and lighting it up for Adelaide, despite the reigning champions’ 5-0 loss in their NPLM SA season opener last week.
Tatu made his starting debut in the defeat to Campbelltown City at Coopers Stadium, where the teenage winger made an impression for the Reds alongside the likes of Yaya Dukuly and Panashe Madanha.
The teen is a winger known for taking on players and his explosiveness on the ball.
“Despite his tender age of 15 years and 7 months, budding winger Amlani Tatu left a lasting impression with some explosive moments on debut,” wrote Adelaide United’s official website.
Tatu is one of three 15-year-olds in Adelaide’s NPL squad this season, alongside David Kabazo and Nichola Malual as the club continues to promote and show faith in youth.
“I relish the opportunity to challenge young players and witness them rise to the occasion,” Adelaide’s head of youth football Airton Andrioli told AUFC media prior to Round 1.
“Reflecting on our past achievements and the club’s unified philosophy, I believe we are on the right trajectory and intend to maintain that momentum.
“This season presents a fresh set of challenges, with a group of less experienced players.
“While some may not be fully prepared, each match serves as a stepping stone towards our collective objectives.”
Tatu has come into the 2024 season amid rave reviews in Adelaide.
Last year, he was a standout at the Under-15 National Championships, scoring twice for South Australia against eventual champions Victoria Blue.
Tatu also scored an outrageous goal at last year’s African Nations Cup, which was actually captured on film and published on social media by Irankunda himself.
“For many of these players, this season marks their debut in the NPL,” Adelaide United’s Isuzu UTE A-League head coach Carl Veart said after the weekend.
“While there will be highs and lows throughout the year, I witnessed promising performances from several young talents today, as well as in the reserves over the weekend.
“We have a pool of promising prospects emerging within the club.”
Rising star at the double
Sydney FC young gun Tiago Quintal scored twice in the 2-0 success against Manly United in NPLM NSW.
Rising star Quintal bagged a double to give Sydney their first win of the season.
The former Joeys attacker is highly regarded at the Sky Blues, having trialled at Lyon’s academy last year.
“Seeing the facilities there, it’s just amazing, the amount of money they put into it,” the 17-year-old told the Guardian. “You’ve got six-year-olds coming in and training at Lyon and then it’s just life for them.
“Other players my age were around the same level, but once they start getting older they start becoming very, very, very good. When they get to 18 and 19 years old they start to really separate from over here in Australia.
“For the past few years, training three or four times more than every other kid has really helped a lot. Technical sessions, even if it’s just a simple technique of lacing a ball, just keep practising and practising. Then in games some players may not be able to do that but we can do it every time.”
Sydney teammate Mitchell Glasson also earned NPL NSW Team of the Week honours.
There was high praise for Awan Lual following Western Sydney Wanderers’ victory 2-1 win over Hills United.
The 17-year-old scored his first goal of the season as the Wanderers made it two wins from two games to start the season.
Lual scored more than 20 goals for Western Sydney’s U18 team in 2023 and the teenager now finds himself in the NPL side this season.
He broke the deadlock in the 13th minute at Landen Stadium, where Adam Bugarija doubled the lead six minutes into the second half.
“I was really proud of the effort of the boys tonight,” Wanderers coach Andrew Christiansen said via NPL NSW.
“It was a different challenge compared to last week but I was really pleased with the fight from the boys while showing our quality.
“Our boys are learning quick including Awan tonight. His a fantastic talent and one to look out for this season.”
Victory youngster’s stunner
Eli Adams helped Melbourne Victory earn a point in Round 3 of the VPL1 season.
The 21-year-old scored a stunning goal as Victory drew 1-1 against Bentleigh Greens on Monday night.
Adams has made nine Isuzu UTE A-League appearances, starting once and scoring a goal for Tony Popovic’s Victory.
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For Victory’s youth team – playing in the second tier of Victorian football, Adams scored a sensational goal to ensure a share of the spoils at John Cain Memorial Park, where he made his first appearance for the academy this season.
“He set the tone early on. He was really causing problems for Bentleigh on his side,” said Victory coach Joe Palatsides.
“Then that strike…he can make those special moments count.
“He did it again today and put us back in the game.”
Victory have collected seven points from three matches to be level atop the standings with Kingston City and Langwarrin.
Melbourne City are five points off the pace following a second consecutive draw.
Ben Mazzeo found the back of the net in the 1-1 stalemate at Werribee City, while Western United lost for the third time after going down 2-1 away to Preston Lions.
