The All Saints College, St Peter’s Campus, Maitland student joined the Northern NSW under-15s team for their trip to Coffs Harbour, where they will contest the National Youth Championships.

The Berry Park teenager was originally named as one of two reserves in the extended 18-man squad, but got the call-up after original squad member Geoff Goninan suffered a broken leg.

By default or not, Hall left with the Northern NSW team this morning for a week of matches against regional selection teams from around the country, and he is beaming at the opportunity to test his skills.

“I tried out for the same team last year and I was unsuccessful. I kept trying and now I’m in so I’m pretty happy with that,” he said.

“Some of these guys are just amazing, it’s great to be able to play that standard.”

Hall represented the Hunter Valley this season in the State Youth League and it looks like being his last. The 15-year-old was given another call-up to join the Weston Workers Bears Youth team for the 2009 State League season.

Hall is expected to play centre back for the Northern NSW team alongside Bolwarra’s Harry Maguire and Matthew Comerford, who are likely to occupy the midfield.

Twelve teams from across NSW, Tasmania, Queensland, Victoria, the ACT and the Northern Territory will attend the Coffs Harbour’s BCU International stadium from this Saturday to next to compete for the national title.

Northern NSW under-15s coach Brett Cowburn led the same group to a national final loss to South Australia in 2007 and is looking to go one step further.

“It will be all bar five guys that are the same as last year,” he said.

“We must consider ourselves a chance this time and things change a lot in 12 months.”

Heading up the Northern NSW under-14s team is Maitland Magpies coach Anthony Richards.

Richards will manage the under-14s team after a spending the 2006 and 2007 in charge of the Northern NSW girls’ team.

“It will be a nice transition I think. Development is the best level to coach at. Everything you implement is taken up straight away,” he said.

“And with representative football you don’t know the opposition either, in local league you know pretty much all your opponents before you take the field against them.

“This is a fantastic standard, the future Melbourne Victory and Newcastle Jets players will be running around out there.”