The first time I saw Keneil Moodie he was already playing for a national age-group team. At the time I had noted how serious he was about his football and how much older he seemed than his years.

Its been three years since that first experience with the young man and he has gone from Reno Football Club to Seba United. That move was important for him to make because he was always seen as one of former National coach, Wendell Downswell’s favourites.

That shadow has been shrugged off and the burly defender now has to stand on his own. As a matter of fact he has grown from the status of a defender and is now a competent midfielder.

Under the watch of former National player turned coach, Theodore Whitmore, Moodie has grown. His sense of responsibility and his work rate were never a question, his technical ability has always been good but his talent was something many wondered about.

They shouldn’t be wondering anymore, after Rene Simoes saw him playing in the Premier League and thought him worthy of a call-up to the senior team.

This is not his first stint at a training camp with the big boys, but what will happen, is that the recall will give him the confidence to understand that he is a good player and we might even see more out of the young man.

Seba, who are currently eighth in the league and are battling with the three teams ahead of them, who are only a point away, had Moodie to thank in large part for surviving in the league last season, as he came across in the January transfer and organised the team in no uncertain manner.

The professionalism he brought to the team cannot be understated and the young man is a natural leader. As a matter of fact, watching him play for Seba, I thought to myself that this young man seems a little bossy. He was running around on the pitch orchestrating all of Seba’s movements in a game against Harbour View, and although they lost that game, his input made the game interesting.

As a matter of fact, it was at that point that people started saying, Seba might be making a resurgence.

At the time, Whitmore was still donning his boots and giving his opposition hell, and even then, Moodie seemed like a leader.

With Whitmore playing less, Seba will need that person to look up to when things get tough and while Moodie is young in years – he was in a national under-20 squad just two years ago – he has very broad and mature shoulders.

If he continues to lead from the front the way he has, he will be in the spotlight more times than he can imagine.

Physically, he is also well built for the game. Very strong in the tackle, firm on the ball, and cool under pressure, Moodie has worked hard enough to make himself a force to be reckoned with.