Ready for challenge

Two young footballers will represent the Hills in Canberra this week.

15-year-old footballer Evan Tsakos will play in the State Institute Challenge this week. Picture: Peter Kelly

• Footballer’s birthday to remember
• Inaugural Hills Football board elected

Two young footballers will represent the Hills in Canberra this week.

Evan Tsakos and Dylan Ruiz-Diaz, both 15, will play for NSW at the Football Federation Australia State Institute Challenge, an under-15 tournament between state teams held at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra from Monday to Friday.

Tsakos, of Box Hill, has shown strong skills since he set foot on the field at the age of five.

The Oakhill College student, who usually plays right wing and right back, played for Blacktown City before being scouted by Sydney FC last year.

Sydney FC academy director Kelly Cross said Tsakos was “progressing very well” as a player.

Cross said Tsakos was fast on the field, had a “first-class attitude” and was well mannered and determined.

“He’s always hard working, always responding to instructions, always takes feedback, and you can see he tries to comply with any advice you give him,” he said.

“He works hard every session. You don’t need to motivate him.”

Ruiz-Diaz, of Glenhaven, joined the Sydney FC academy last year and moved across to the Western Sydney Wanderers Wanderers this year.

He was selected to the Football Federation National Youth Championships in 2014 and 2015, and was named player of the tournament in 2014.

Wanderers technical director Ian Crook said “Dylan has great ability and was a player that we wanted last year”.

“He has really good technical ability and is someone that gives you X factor in the final third as a number 10,” he said.