In touch with winning | Auckland Sport | Surfing, Rugby, Soccer, Football, Cricket in Auckland

An ambitious Papakura footie fanatic is one of the youngest players in the squad that will clash with Australia next month. John Landrigan reports.

Ray Small Park is home to touch, tag and rugby league. On the Papakura ground Kahurangi Watene mastered her prowess at football.

The Papakura 18-year-old has now made the senior Open Touch Blacks team that will take on Australia in a transtasman series in West Auckland next month.

"I've played touch ever since I was 8,'' says Ms Watene. "I'm very competitive. I'm not a stepper. Maybe I have more gas and am a good scooper from dummy.''

In March, the Under-19 Counties Manukau Girls, for which Ms Watene was an integral member, won the nationals for the second consecutive year.

Fresh out of St Kentigern College, Ms Watene climbed through the junior Counties Manukau grades to play in the under-19 New Zealand team before making the seniors after that tournament. She is now one of the youngest players in the senior open women's squad and keen to perform.

"There is a lot of competition for those places. Currently, I'm up against players with three world champs behind them. It's just an honour training with those sorts of people.''

She is working hard on her fitness, speed and agility over the summer and hopes also to play in the world tournament in Scotland in 2011.

New Zealand men's, women's and mixed touch teams take on Australia on January 23, 24 and 25 at The Trusts Stadium in Waitakere.