Jets midfielder Bayliss eyes New Zealand debut and World Cup chance

MELBOURNE, March 18 - A footballing career forged in Australia's tropical north will reach a high point for Lachlan Bayliss in Auckland next week as the Newcastle Jets midfielder reports for his first New Zealand camp with an eye to break into Darren Bazeley's World Cup squad. Read more at straitstimes.com.

MELBOURNE, March 18 - A footballing career forged in Australia's tropical north will reach a high point for Lachlan Bayliss in Auckland next week as the Newcastle Jets midfielder reports for his first New Zealand camp with an eye to break into Darren Bazeley's World Cup squad.

The 23-year-old was born in Sydney, raised in the steamy northern port of Darwin and is an Australian Rules football fan without a hint of a Kiwi accent.

But Bayliss threw in his lot with his late father's homeland a few years ago and earned a surprise spot on New Zealand's Paris Olympics squad.

Getting a maiden call-up for Bazeley's senior squad is another pleasant surprise for Bayliss who will push for selection in World Cup warmups against Finland next week and Chile a few days later at Eden Park.

"It was sort of out of the blue because I haven't been called up for any camps," Bayliss told Reuters of his selection on Wednesday.

"Although I'd been playing well, I was hoping I'd done enough to be invited to the camp and, thankfully, I had, but it's still a surprise and a shock, nonetheless."