COUVA, Trinidad & Tobago — Jamoi Topey can be an intimidating presence in Jamaica’s defensive wall.

At 16 years old, he already stands at an imposing 6ft 5in, and could grow a bit more when he hits the age at which male humans are expected to stop growing, usually occurring at the end of puberty.

While the Camperdown High School defender towers above all here at the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Finals, luckily for opponents, his height is not complemented by bulk.

Still, his slim build and languid demeanour can be dangerous assets as they are deceptive. The young giant is amazingly explosive on his feet and is a hard hitter in his tackles.

When he rises for headers in attack and defence, or when he handles the ball on the floor, he is graceful to watch.

Though his command at the back lacks full reign at the moment, Topey is learning his craft and has steadily improved upon the fledgling partnership with central defensive ally Kendall Edwards.

“The communication between me and Kendall is improving, because we are roommates and when we are together we would talk about a match and ask each other what we thought we did wrong.

“He is a leader ’round there and we understand each other. If I go and tackle, he knows to drop back and I do the same, so we are improving as a team in the back,” said the Portmore native.

As testament to their growing partnership, Topey and Edwards combined for a goal in Jamaica’s 6-2 win over Bermuda on Friday.

Having surged forward for a corner, Topey used his superior air power to head the ball into the path of Edwards, who blasted home from point blank range.

“Coach Omar Edwards always tells me that when the ball is in the air it belongs to no one, so just don’t let your opponent know you are coming for it.

“There is no doubt my strong point is heading, but I am also good with my feet as my career started at midfield where I had to handle the ball a lot, but I was pushed into centre back because of my height,” he shared.

So whether he is going forward or managing the backline, the former Jonathan Grant student admitted that communication is a key component for success.

“My role is to organise the defence into the midfield and from there we take it forward… what I do is communicate to them in technical terms. For example, I would say “turn right or turn left or to step back”, Topey told the Jamaica Observer at the team hotel on Monday.

The former Naggo Head Primary School footballer noted that a pet peeve of his haunts when his World Cup-chasing team concedes a goal.

“It bothers me when we concede goals, and the reason why we have been conceding is that the defence drops off in concentration and communication at times.

“Against Haiti on Sunday, our communication got better and before the game we planned not to give away any goals, and we did that,” he said.

But, in the Young Reggae Boyz’s 6-2 win over Bermuda, Topey believed he and the entire defence played below par, thus allowing the opponent to breach their backline.

“I don’t think the first performance ended the way I wanted it to, but after thinking about it, I went back to the drawing board and went into the second game and performed better,” he said.

In the first round of the CFU play-offs in the US Virgin Islands in July, Jamaica conceded goals in victories over Guyana (4-1), Antigua and Barbuda (3-1), but blanked the hosts by an emphatic 9-0.

“I was very happy with performance in the US Virgin Islands, but there is always room for improvement. Since joining the national team I have learnt a lot about off the ball movements and how to train by one’s self,” said Topey, who scored a goal in the US Virgin Islands.

Having picked up a consecutive yellow card in the rough house match against Haiti, Topey had to watch his team take on hosts Trinidad and Tobago in the final Group A game at the Ato Boldon Stadium on Tuesday.

“I know my team will do the job for me because they are good players. I had to get that yellow card as the ball was squared to the opponent and I had to reach back and tackle because he was all alone with the goal,” he recalled.

Topey, who wants to pursue a career in physiotherapy if football does not take him to the top, says he gets his inspiration and motivation from Real Madrid’s Spanish defender Sergio Ramos and his close-knit family.

“Sergio Ramos inspires be because he and his team are always organised and compact in defence, and he is good in the air as well.

“I also get a lot of support from my parents and my brothers and sisters, as they are always encouraging me to go to training and they are always praying for me,” he noted.

Topey said he would love to help Jamaica qualify for the FIFA Under-17 World Cup in India next summer to restore, in part, national pride in the football programme, which took a hit with the failure of the senior team.

“I would be proud and I know that the country would be proud if we qualify, especially knowing that the senior team dropped out of their World Cup qualification,” he concluded.