TWENTY-FOUR players from 12 countries were named in the International Cup World Team on Thursday. While Friday night's grand final showdown between New Zealand and Papua New Guinea will feature the powerhouses of the competition, the best-of-the-best hail from far and wide.
For 18-year-old Canadian Scott Fleming, being named in the squad has consolidated his decision to move halfway around the world to the Gold Coast to spend a season under triple premiership player-turned-coach, Shaun Hart.
A season with the Broadbeach Cats has helped Fleming develop the physical skills and football brain that has seen him equal-leader in the 2008 International Cup goal kicking.
"I was hoping for it, I wasn't expecting anything but definitely hoping," Fleming said of his selection in the World Team. "It's definitely a confidence booster."
Irish-born Great Britain representative Aiden Dillane played his first game of footy in May after growing up with Gaelic football, playing in County Kerry against Sydney Swans champion Tadgh Kenelly. A six-month travelling holiday introduced him to live NAB Cup matches at Telstra Dome, beginning a love affair with Hawthorn and its star player, Lance Franklin.
"I'm just so sorry I haven't taken this up a long, long time ago," Dillane said.
"All I heard was there was this nomination for a world team...and I secretly did hope, it would be lovely, but obviously there are very good teams there and good players. Just to be picked was absolutely a dream come true."
Great Britain teammate Luke Matias loved football so much he moved to Melbourne after the last International Cup in 2005. For the past two years, he has played for Caulfield in the B-grade amateur competition.
"I would have loved to have stopped messing around with soccer all those years and got onto this earlier," Matias said.
"It's such a good game, I absolutely love it."
Matias became a 'signed-and-sealed Sainter' after seeing a delayed game on Sky television back in the United Kingdom.
"The first game I watched was some team in red, white and black kicking out to this big blond chap up forward who was kicking goals enough to get a novice following them and now, three years later it happens I live in St Kilda. It's amazing," he said.
South African Thabiso Phakedi didn't even expect his team to win a game, let alone be named as one of the top players of the carnival.
Introduced to football during the 2006 Barassi International Australian Football Youth Tournament in Canberra, Phakedi saw the sport as an opportunity to develop, where soccer had a limited future for him.
Taking part in an Indigenous team tour to Perth and Darwin in 2007, the athletic midfielder is one of many promising South African athletes to make the transition to Australian football.
"I didn't believe that I could make it, but it's a dream come true," he said.
"The team has improved a lot – I didn't believe the boys could do something like this. I'm very excited about what we have done. We've learned something here and that's good."
