Hudson serious about talented teenager
All Whites coach Anthony Hudson believes 17-year-old Dane Ingham’s decision to play for New Zealand shows the significant progress the team has made during the last two years.
Ingham and older brother Jai, 23, were the two newcomers in the squad named on Thursday for a World Cup qualifying tie with Fiji later this month.
The Australian-born pair, who also have Samoan heritage and qualify for New Zealand through their Kiwi-born mother, are the first brothers selected in the same All Whites squad since Neil and Kenny Harlock in 1997.
While the likely selection of Melbourne Victory winger Jai had been flagged for some weeks, the call-up for Brisbane Roar player Dane, among a group of 10 defenders including returning skipper Winston Reid and fellow England-based defender Tommy Smith, has created substantial interest.
On top of his age, Dane Ingham only made his debut for the Roar five weeks ago, playing another four matches since and becoming the fourth-youngest scorer in A-league history in the process.
With Jai’s decision already made, Hudson’s desire for Dane to go in the same direction was made clear by a special trip to Brisbane on Tuesday to meet with the family.
The All Whites coach felt it was a big coup to land a player of that talent who was also eligible for Australia and said the trip was a crucial part in the teenager’s eventual decision.
‘‘They are a big federation and over there he has a lot of [Australian] national team players around him, even in his club.
‘‘A lot of credit goes to everything that been done here ... a couple of years ago it would have been much more difficult.
‘‘It was important for me [to go to Brisbane], for all they know I could have just been getting him in to play five minutes against Fiji and then he is ours. They needed to know I was serious.’’
Hudson said Jai, who had recently signed a two-year extension with Victory, had been on their radar for some time and was aware of the interest when he pulled out of the Samoan squad on the eve of the Oceania Nations Cup in May and June last year.
The situation was similarly delicate with Dane and after initial hoping to bring him into the New Zealand under-20 squad, his debut in an Asian Champions League match on January 31 changed things significantly.
‘‘Within 20 to 30 minutes I was sold,’’ Hudson said. ‘‘Athletically and technically he is really strong but what impressed me was his attitude and mentality for such a young kid. He’s brave, confident on the ball and exciting.
‘‘I remember I called my manager 30 minutes into the game and said we needed to get him with the All Whites quick, and we’ve worked really hard to do that.’’
Another selection that surprised some was the omission of Wellington Phoenix winger Kosta Barbarouses, who has 37 caps for the All Whites and has featured in 12 of the 15 games since Hudson took the reins in August, 2014.
Hudson would not reveal his reasons for dropping Barbarouses, only saying the pair had spoken and the experienced 27-year-old was still ‘‘very much’’ in their thinking.
The All Whites coach also vented his frustration at further questions about Smith, who Hudson did not consider for the Oceania Nations Cup, citing a lack of commitment to the team.
‘‘We dealt with this back in September, this is not new news ... Tommy gets so much attention [but if he did some of the things others have done he’d get crucified.
‘‘I don’t understand why Tommy gets it all the time.
‘‘I think the public are bored of hearing about Tommy, and the other players don’t get as much recognition as they deserve.’’