Draper has found the net twice in New Zealand’s three-match march to the final of the OFC Men’s Olympic Qualifier in Taupo this month, the winner of which will earn the right to represent Oceania at the Olympic Games.
New Zealand will take on Fiji in that final after a thrilling 3-2 win over Vanuatu in the semi-finals yesterday and Draper is pleased to still be in with a chance of making London.
“That was obviously our aim at the start of the tournament,” he says.
“We didn’t want to concede any goals but unfortunately we did yesterday, we got pretty sloppy in the second half. I’m sure we’ll have words about that but we’re in the final and that’s the main thing.”
Everything had appeared to be going to plan for the Oly Whites as a trio of early goals, including one to Draper, had them 3-0 up by the 27th minute. But Vanuatu’s ‘Dream Team’ hit back in the second spell, giving themselves a glimmer of hope through Jean Kaltack in the 74th minute before Kensi Tangis gave the Kiwis a nervy finish by prodding home a second in injury time.
“We were hanging on there at the end. We just took our foot off the pedal too much in the second half and they gave us a real game,” Draper says.
The targetman was withdrawn on the hour mark before his side’s grip on the game began to loosen and was therefore in an ideal position to take in the latter stages of proceedings. He says improvements must be made if the Oly Whites are to turn their Olympic dream into reality.
“Our coaches were at Fiji’s semi-final before our game and we have the video of their last group game so we’ll watch that today I expect. We’ll have a fair idea of what they’re all about but we’ll have to be better than we were yesterday.”
In the abscence of rested regular captain Adam McGeorge, Draper skippered the side in the hefty group stage win over Tonga and made the day even more memorable by scoring the opener that launched New Zealand on their way to a 10-goal rampage.
The 22-year-old has had to wait some time for that strike since first making his bow on the global stage in 2007 with the New Zealand U-20 side. England-born Draper wore the silver fern of his adopted country at the FIFA U-20 World Cup that year and is one of only two players in the Oly Whites squad – the other being fullback Ian Hogg – to have taken part in New Zealand’s debut Olympic Games campaign in Beijing four years ago.
He has found the net with far more regularity at club level though and is currently catching the eye for The New Saints in the Welsh Premier League. The former Wellington Phoenix player has hit 19 goals for the Saints this season and is loving his time in Wales.
“I’m really enjoying it over there. We have the opportunity to play Champions League football if we win the league or Europa League if we finish runners-up,” he says.
“It’s fulltime so we train every day and we have good facilities there. We play a lot of League Two and Conference teams from England and have beaten a few so it’s of a similar standard. Fingers crossed I can move up a league or two in a couple of years.”
Qualifying for the Olympics and then doing well in London would be a big boost in that quest as scouts from around the world are likely to flock for the Games.
“I’m just taking it as it comes really,” Draper says.
“As long as I’m scoring goals then there’s going to be people watching and I just want to play as high as I can really. I’ll just have to wait and see.”

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