Young goalkeeper making big strides

BIG AMBITIONS: Regents Park's Jacob Jarratt is in the fast lane to netting his dreams.

JACOB Jarratt is not psychic.

But that has never stopped him from making bold predictions.

At just the age of three, during a trip with his family to the Olympic Stadium before the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Jarratt told his parents he would play for the Socceroos at that stadium.

Then last year told his idol, Australian goalkeeper, Mark Schwarzer, that he “better watch his position in the Australian team” as he was coming to take it from him.

A relation of Socceroos legend, the late Johnny Warren, Jarratt, 15, has no doubts he has the ingredients to one day compete at the elite level.

This year the Regents Park teen has achieved many feats, including making a treble of Queensland sides (schoolboys under-15, Queensland Metro under-15 and Vikings futsal) and helping Rochedale win the under-15 boys Rebel Sport Junior Premier League title.

He was also hand-picked to participate in the Australian goalkeeping academy and during the June-July school holidays, spent a fortnight in Japan as part of a rare tour that saw him be pitted against J-League youth sides.

While Jarratt seems to be ticking all the boxes to become a superstar of the future, he still had one accomplishment he was hoping to tick off by year's end.

“My goal at the start of the year was to make the Queensland Rebel side and go to the QAS and hopefully go to Canberra and trial for the Australian under-17s team,” the year 10 Browns Plains State High student said.

“I've been training hard and I hope to keep improving and raising the bar.”

Jarratt's long-time private goalkeeping coach, Jason Kearton – a former FA Cup winner with Everton – knew he was a fine talent the moment he first watched him play.

“The first couple of sessions I could sort of tell he was built to be a keeper,” he said.

“His hand-eye coordination and sort of natural ability to dive and not be frightened to dive and his enjoyment in the actual position, you could tell straight away.”

And when asked if he thought Jarratt's unverified psychic abilities translated onto the field, he answered “He's not a magician or anything, but he reacts to the situation well and more often than not comes up with the goods.”

Jarratt, a passionate Arsenal fan, said it would be a dream come true to play for Australia and professionally in Europe.

While their big dreams, Kearton said the ambitious shot-stopper had a steely determination to become a leading player wherever he played.

But Kearton provided Jarratt with some advice if he wished to improve his game.

“That hair-do he has, if he can change that he might be able to see the ball a bit better a catch a few more,” he joked.

“I don't know how he can keep his hair out of eyes.

“He's flicking his head so much he must get home with a sore neck.”