Not only did he achieve that goal, he racked up a list of accomplishments that would be the envy of any young sportsman.

Trialling with Newcastle's Broadmeadow Magic in early 2019, he was selected for the club's U14 squad to play in the National Premier League.

The team gelled quickly, enjoying a successful regular season that eventually saw them finish minor premiers.

In July he was selected to not only be a part of an Australian U14s invitational team to play in China, but to captain them as well.

They played in the Baiyangdian Cup at the Shanghai International Youth Football Tournament in Shanghai, where they came up against strong international teams from China, Japan, South Korea and Spain.

Reflecting on the experience, not just from a footballing perspective but as an opportunity to experience a different country and culture, Riley saw it as one of the most enjoyable parts of his year.

Following the tournament, the achievements came thick and fast for the young St Clare's student.

First he and his Broadmeadow Magic teammates backed up their form in the regular season to go on and take out both the National Premier League grand final and the National Premier League club championship.

A talented futsal player as well, in October Riley was selected to represent Northern NSW at the National School Futsal Championships in Queensland.

Following a strong performance at the event, he was selected for the Australian U15s team to tour Brazil in August of next year.

Among a swag of sporting highlights in 2019, this achievement stands as the one Riley is proudest of.

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Selection in an U14 Northern NSW indigenous squad to play in the National Indigenous Football Championships at Nowra followed, with Riley's team, the Newcastle All Stars A, proving far too strong for the Roseby Park Saltwater Gatherers as they ran in an 8-0 victory in the grand final.

The tournament also saw Riley meet a number of high profile indigenous football stars, including the first indigenous player to captain Australia, Jade North, and A-League goal-scoring machine, Mark Bridge.

He was selected from the tournament to represent the Australian First Nations U14s squad to compete at the Clash of Cultures Trans-Tasman Series against a select Maori team in Papakura, New Zealand in January 2020.

As a sportsperson, Riley believed the year taught him the importance of putting in extra effort.

"Hard work pays off, practice isn't wasted and if you put your mind to something, you can get there," he said.

His aspirations for 2020 are much the same as they were over the past 12 months, with the aim of playing more international football, captaining more squads and further improving his soccer skills.

And considering what he was able to achieve in 2019, there's every chance he'll continue to kick goals.

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