Central Coast Mariners’s Nik Mrdja, right, celebrates a goal against Queensland Roar during their A-League match in Gosford, Saturday Jan 10, 2009. (AAP Image/Aman Sharma)
When I woke up on Friday morning in Sicily and switched on the second-half of Melbourne Victory’s 2-0 crushing of North Queensland Fury, I practically fell off the couch – and it had nothing to do with the Fury’s inability to put a decent cross into the box.
You see, the last thing I had expected to see when I switched the game on was Nik Mrdja trotting into the middle of Etihad Stadium wearing the “Big V”. But there he was doing just that.
Having been out of touch with the latest A-League news for about 24 hours, I hadn’t heard about Mrdja’s move, so for a good while there I was pretty sure I wasn’t in Kansas anymore. In the end, it’s made quite the storm (Mrdja’s signing, not Kansas).
It seems each week everyone is finding a new bone to pick with the A-League. Two weeks ago it was the Etihad Stadium’s pitch, last week it was the “violent conduct” that marred the Melbourne and Gold Coast blockbuster and now comes this.
Ray Gatt summarised things quite nicely in The Australian, writing that “the lateness of the signing has put intense focus on the confusing replacement rule. While there is no suggestion that Melbourne Victory did anything but act within the rules and regulations, questions are being raised over possible abuse of the system by some clubs while fans have been left wondering about loyalty issues.”
Meanwhile, Jason Culina waded into the debate in his weekly The World Game blog.
“While I don’t completely understand how the loan system works over here (let’s face it, I didn’t really understand it in Europe either), I find the whole situation a bit strange,” explained the Gold Coast United captain.
“For me, players switching from one club to another club to play a few matches, before switching back again is weird and I’m not sure why a player would want to do that.
“It’s something that I’m not familiar with and I find it difficult to get my head around.
“For me, jumping from one club to another just wouldn’t feel right. It’s not fair on the fans either.”
Now Gatt and Culina make good points, but I’m not sure why everyone is acting so surprised. We’ve seen similar moves happen in the last couple seasons with Song Jin-Hyung at Newcastle and also when Henrique joined the Roar.
While Melbourne Victory and the Central Coast Mariners have found a loophole within the transfer restrictions, I wouldn’t be surprised if FIFA took a closer look at the transfer. It is still possible that Adelaide, thanks to their illegitimate signing of Adam Griffiths, wont be the only ones caught with their pants down.
On that point, what is going on at Hindmarsh? This is the second time the club have mismanaged their Asian Champions League roster after the Jonas Salley debacle before the knockout stage in 2008. If I was a Reds fan, I would be very worried by the club’s habit of not doing due diligence on their squad movements.
Back to the Mrdja move though and even more curious than how the former Perth Glory striker signed with Melbourne was his 40-odd minute performance for the champions.
It was a promising pace-filled start that had the North Queensland defence on their toes. While low on confidence and still wayward with his finishing, Mrdja also proved that he could be a reasonable replacement for the injured Archie Thompson. Most importantly though, Mrdja’s performance on Friday was approaching a level that was generally missing during his time at the Mariners.
When Mrdja signed for the Central Coast he became one of their highest paid players, but other then a brief run of form at the start of season three he hasn’t provided the goods.
While a contract extension was forthcoming for this season, it was only because he played just enough games to automatically trigger an extension – and he remained one of the clubs highest earners.
Now I’m starting to wonder whether Mrdja’s performances for the Mariners says less about the striker and more about coach Lawrie McKinna.
While A-League clubs insist on employing what Francis Awaritefe calls ‘battering-ram forwards’, guys like Mrdja will struggle and most fans will miss out on seeing exciting football.
Personally, I’ve really enjoyed watching the Victory since Danny Allsopp moved on earlier in the season. The forward line’s mobility has enabled Melbourne to play a quick and exciting brand of football that takes advantage of Carlos Hernandez’s vision and ability to link midfield with attack. With his speed and technical ability, and the added dimension he will bring in the air, Mrdja should fit right in.
In the end, the signing of Melbourne’s new number 29 has told us more about what is holding the Mariners back than anything else.
Dogz R Barkn
Roar Guru
Just read somewhere else that Palmer is actually thinking of using the same rule to snare Fowler for the finals. It's out of control! The other thing is that Palmer is the major sponsor of the Fury!! (they almost would have gone belly up without him stepping in) So maybe the Fury is the feeder club to GCU!!
Dogz R Barkn
Roar Guru
I'm surprised this topic hasn't generated even more discussion. It seems to me to be a very unique scenario, no matter which code you follow.
Lu
Guest
Perhaps it is CCM.. I'm pretty sure any decent striker would love the movement, passing and flow that is provided by the MV midfield (even defence at times). Even a weakling (and i say that with much affection, sic) like kruse can get a goal feast. I was both excited (as a MV fan), but also al little annoyed (as a football fan) that the Mrdja deal happened.. It's a little ludicrous..
Art Sapphire
Guest
He's not replacing Archie, Moonface. He is replacing Billy Celeski.
Moonface
Guest
"The replacement player can only be paid at the most what the injured player was getting." Mrdja's replacing their marquee player so he would be able to get lots of money for a few games at MV. When he goes back to CCM his loyalty will be in question, especially next time they play MV.
Joe FC
Guest
Davidde, half your luck.
Art Sapphire
Guest
Davidde - I agree. The current bout of sulking is a tad hypocritical. I can't remember this type of crying when Song joined Newcastle for their finals campaign. He hardly contributed to their season but was a pivotal figure in their finals campaign. At least Mrdja, has a chance to become a hero over the next month. Something that won't happen to him when he rejoins McKinna and CCM :)
Andyroo
Guest
They closed that loop hole it at the start of this season. The replacement player can only be paid at the most what the injured player was getting. In other leagues it would be considered a loan deal.... I think doing it outside of the transfer window (which is what happened here) is dodgy. Mckinna say's their doing it so Mrdja gets game time, he is just back from a long term injury so a 4 month off season would be a huge set back. As long as no money changes hands between CCm and MV then not a huge problem for mine but this loophole should be closed so it can't happen after deadline day.
Art Sapphire
Guest
No Mister Football - CCM parted with Mrdja only once it became mathematically impossible for them to reach the finals. What do they get out of it?? Easy, they save 5 months wages. As a Victory supporter, you should be pleased with Victory solving the lack on striking power heading into the finals and ACL campaign. Or was that a put on as well :)
Davidde Corran
Roar Guru
Thank the-afc.com for that one.
Davidde Corran
Roar Guru
In a word - yes. It was in the middle of a massive 3 day festival in the middle of Catania that finished at 11am on Saturday.
Mister Football
Roar Guru
The injury replacement rule has been waiting to explode since day one - the big thing about it is that you can lose a no hoper for a whole season, and replace him with a world class player, all under the salary cap. Palmer hasn't exploited it ony because he has proven himself to be a bit of a tightar$e - but as it is - it's a massive loop hole in the salary cap system. The Victory/CCM deal isn't quite along those lines, but is certainly against the spirit of the rule. The more amazing aspect is that CCM has clearly gone along with the wink and the nudge, and one has to wonder: under what circumstances would one club assist another club to that degree. Is CCM the Victory's new feeder club?
Mick
Guest
Dave, I may be biased but I wouldn't call a 2-0 victory a 'crushing', but yes NQ couldn't finish their crosses, that I agree with. I think Mrdja's weird transfer caught everyone off guard, but it does at least add some 'spice'/controversy to the HAL, which is great for headlines.
Andyroo
Guest
2. CCM (or anyone else for that matter) don’t have a Tico in their squad. Brisbane Roar have tried to get in on the craze with a Tico of their own...... but he's no Hernandez :(
Tifosi
Guest
Im trying to figure out how you even got the A-League over in Sicily !!
Rellum
Guest
Why aren't all injury short term contracts filled by players in your own clubs youth team. I was under the impression that was one of the major reasons the youth league was put in place. If the youth players aren't good enough, well then the club should be looking at it development practices.
Ben
Guest
The thing is, this isn't new. Rostyn Griffiths did it with Adelaide last season. Jonas Salley did it for Sydney FC after moving from NZ Knights a few years before. Why hasnt anything changed?
Joe FC
Guest
-"When I woke up on Friday morning in Sicily and switched on the second-half..." Err Davidde the second half commenced about 9.00PM Melbourne time which was about 11.00AM Sicilian time. Big night Thursday?
Mossy
Guest
I also find it interesting that Mrdja played with a sense of freedom and class that has been missing in his time at the Mariners. Whether it has anything to do with the management at CCM is a debate for another time. The big point however is the exploitation of the loop in the system. It's a dirty play by Victory and Mariners, a yellow card offense at least. Sure it's within the blurry boundaries of the rules but Clubs should not go there. It's a strategy that is fueled by greed and is a blight on the A-League and a big step back in gaining credibility in Australia. I see no similarity to the Jets signing of Song in there championship season - "We've seen similar moves happen in the last couple seasons with Song Jin-Hyung at Newcastle..." Song continued to play at the Jets, Mrdja will ply his trade back on the Coast next season. This is shameful and a disgrace. I have always admired Melbournes approach to the game. Great name, logo, strip, fans, and loyalty to the manager. Melbourne have been the light that has filled the darkness of the A-League, in one fowl swoop, it's gone. As a football fan I an extremelly dissapointed and will find it hard to stand up for the game at the next BBQ with my 'other code loving' mates.
whiskeymac
Guest
is the HAL the only comp that has these issues? they do seem to be a bit unfair on the other teams, but is good business for the two clubs concerned. is ther eno one in MVs youth team who cld have stepped up??? what a chance mrdja missed. but he was good at holding the ball up and was fouled in some very dangerous positions by NQF. simon mcbreen mrdja and macallister. all big strong forwards, all very similar. when they are on song they are effective but they all seem to have large periods of any given season being wasteful and working hard for very little result. you'd think that their physical attributes need to be offest in a team by a player offering something different (ie creativity and technique). i always assumed the purchase of mcbreen was signalling the offloading of one of the other three...