Amlani Tatu is living the dream at Adelaide United.
The 16-year-old made his Isuzu UTE A-League debut against Newcastle Jets last weekend in the next big step of his young career.
Highly rated within the club and by those who have witnessed the electric winger’s development at the Reds, Tatu has been included in Adelaide’s last two senior squads and against the Jets, was brought off the bench alongside fellow NPL star Harry Crawford to play in the Isuzu UTE A-League for the very first time.
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In the wake of his league debut for the Reds, Tatu spoke to club media about his journey to the first team and the challenges of balancing his studies with the pursuit of a career in professional football.
“When they told me I was coming on, at first, I was a bit nervous, I was shaking,” Tatu said.
“I just wasn’t really focused on anything else, but just coming on and playing at my best.
“So I was warming up, one of the staff there Django (Gentilcore), got a call from the mic from the staff on the bench, telling me to get ready, get warm. and I may be coming on in a few minutes, so I started to prepare myself.
“That’s when the nerves kicked in.”
In need of a nerve-settler, Tatu found one in fellow Reds substitute Harry Crawford standing next to him on the touchline, preparing to make his own Isuzu UTE A-League debut.
Crawford and Tatu have starred alongside one another in the club’s NPL ranks and it was only fitting they came onto the pitch together as A-Leagues debutants.
“It’s a dream come true,” Tatu said. “Every kid’s dream to play in front of their home fans at home, so to be able to do it and get there, it’s amazing for me.
“For me and Harry, it was a surreal moment for both of us. We’ve worked incredibly, incredibly hard in the NPL, and we’ve been rewarded. From there onwards, we’re just going to keep working hard to stay at the top.
“Me and Harry have a connection. We’ve played in the NPL side together before, so we’ve got an understanding of each other. So to be able to go out there against Newcastle and play on the right-hand side and show people what we can do, it was amazing.”
Tatu recently moved to Sports College South Australia to continue his studies, having been a part of the Underdale High School Football Academy.
Finding the balance between his studies and football has been a constant challenge for Tatu who credits both the club and Sports College SA for working together to make his dual pursuit as easy as possible.
“My time here has been great,” he said. “Obviously, I’ve just started recently. I was at Underdale High School for a bit. But, yeah, I’m looking to enjoy more moments here with my classmates.
“It’s quite hard, because I tend to travel as well with the Australia (Under-17) Joeys national team, but I try and get my work done beforehand, so it’s easier when I come back. But yeah, it’s quite hard to balance all at once. Just got to modify everything.
“Normally in the morning, I have training. But after training, I tend to come here for the last period of time and smash out school work that I have due.
“It’s quite hard, but with my work, going to training, coming to school, the staff at Adelaide United communicate with the teachers here, so they modify it, and help me modify my timetable.”
It’s Tatu’s first season among Adelaide’s senior squad after the 16-year-old signed a three-year contract in the off-season; a genuine star at NPL level, Tatu’s skillset as a winger has been likened to former Adelaide talent Nestory Irankunda – a player who Tatu idolised as he rose throguh the ranks at the Reds to secure a high-profile transfer to Bayern Munich.
But he’s not the only player Tatu looks up to in the world game.
“I used to look up to Elvis Kamsoba,” Tatu said. “From there on, I just followed where he went.”
“You may know Nestor (Irankunda),” Tatu added. “(Then) I’ve got, like, high players like (Ousmane) Dembele, (Lionel) Messi and stuff. I’m going to say I look up to them, but I’m just trying to make a name for myself as well.”
