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Wall
The 'X Factor', Hannah Wall
by Jeremy Ruane
Roy Cox and I were at Kings College one day
When we first set eyes on this lass
It didn't take long for us to look at each other
And nod - "This one's different class!"
Our tournament programme revealed the name
Of this dynamic young star on the ball.
A precocious young talent sporting Capital's colours.
Their captain, thirteen-year-old Hannah Wall.
In the decade plus since our paths first crossed
This young star has continued to shine.
On the park, she's a veritable dynamo
A hugely versatile number nine.
An attacker with vision, she's got that 'X factor'
Which sets her apart from most peers.
She's one of the most exciting footballers
To emerge from Wellington in years.
Off the park, she's vivaciousness personified,
And every party's genuine life and soul.
With her big beaming smile, and that gleam in her eye,
Miss Wall's presence means life's never droll!
She carries that nature into her on-field displays
Which have earned her rewards aplenty.
She was Young Player of the Year in 2008,
The year she first played for her country.
She earned fourteen caps for the Young Ferns,
And thirteen for the Juniors all told.
But the latter team failed to exploit her great strengths,
And willingness to be brave and bold.
Instead, they played our star as - wait for it - a fullback!!
A defender she most definitely is not!
Once you've picked Miss Wall in your starting eleven,
Just sit back and watch her run riot!
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She certainly did in 2013
No-one deserved Player of the Year more.
Adding to her eleven Football Ferns appearances
Looked a racing certainty, to be sure!
But disaster befell one of NZ's poster girls
In the form of football's worst injury.
A torn anterior cruciate ligament
Meant the next year would be misery
For this gorgeous young lass who loves playing football,
And enjoying life to the fullest.
She'll be the first to admit that, as calendar years go,
2014 was undoubtedly her toughest.
But she returned to the fray in 2015
And was back among the goals soon enough.
Work commitments restricted her playing time
But once on, she'd always strut her stuff!
I love watching Hannah whenever she plays.
She can light up a game with her skill.
She always tries to make something happen.
You'll never catch her standing still.
I long for the day when the powers that be
Give one of this country's brightest stars
The chance to wear the silver fern again -
Would you believe it's been over four years
Since Hannah Rachael Wall's name last appeared
Upon a Football Ferns' teamsheet?
Were it up to me, one thing's guaranteed -
She'd grace my team in a heartbeat!
Rio 2016? "Why not?", says I,
Knowing how good she is on the ball.
Plus, the FFs' need a proven scheming goalscorer.
Look no further - the 'X factor', Hannah Wall.
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