Three Victorians have been recognised for their outstanding performance at the 2022 National Youth Championships in Coffs Harbour.
Queensland (U14) and NSW (U15) were crowned champions last week, with Victoria falling short in both semi-finals.
Victoria Blues U14s playmaker Julian Recchia was awarded Player of the Tournament honours for his consistency across the group stage and knockout matches.
“We played very nice attacking football and that was where Julian came in,” head coach Jasper Kristensen said.
“He is a late developer with advanced game intelligence who was influential in all games we played.
“He always put the opposition under pressure with or without the ball.
“He had a strong team behind him which allowed him to shine."
The speedy Melbourne City youth academy member finished nine votes ahead of the next best player.
Victorian Blue U15s goalkeeper Daniel Graskowski was also awarded Goalkeeper of the Tournament for his desperation and miraculous saves.
Graskowski’s coach Adrian Mazzarella said the young shot-stopper kept his side in “many games”.
“He was superb,” Mazzarella explained.
“He delivered many world-class saves, he was a cut above.
“He was also injured so we didn’t play him in the first few games so he had time to recover and then he came on and was excellent.”
Football Australia’s Oscar Gonzalez believes the selection of Recchia and Graskowski sent a positive message about the purpose of the National Youth Championships.
“You might not be the final, but it's about what people have seen consistently all week,” he said.
“We have analysed 1,500 reports, submitted by the state’s technical directors, evaluating a range of key performance factors to reach our decision.
Football Victoria would also like to congratulate Jock Quartermain on being named U15s Referee of the Tournament.