Ingham’s New Zealand choice was an easy one

It only took a few conversations with All Whites coach Anthony Hudson to convince Jai Ingham to play for New Zealand.

The 23-year-old was born and raised in Australia, but both he and his younger brother, fellow All Whites rookie Dane, qualify to play for Samoa and New Zealand through their Kiwi-born mother.

Jai Ingham came through the youth ranks at Brisbane Roar, before Melbourne Victory signed him last year. He’s made 24 appearances in the Hyundai A-league for the Victory, although only seven of those have been starts.

Still, there was more than enough there for Hudson to become interested, which led Ingham to make the switch.

‘‘It wasn’t a difficult decision at all,’’ he said after his first All Whites training on a brisk Monday morning in Wellington.

‘‘After I talked to the gaffer Anthony Hudson, he has a vision of what he wants to do here with New Zealand Football and it’s a very good thing to see.

‘‘Coming straight into the camp, I see how positive it is and how much everyone wants to win here. All the information they feed us is all winrelated and that’s what we want to do here.’’