The FFA has just announced a training camp for the Olyroos and Young Socceroos. Interestingly, six Central Coast players are in the squad – Mustafa Amini, Oliver Bozanic, Sam Gallagher, Bernie Ibini-Isei, Mathew Ryan and Trent Sainsbury – the most of any team.
It’s seven if you count Andrew Redmayne from Brisbane Roar, who was a Mariners junior player and transferred to the Roar this year.
Brisbane Roar has five players, Gold Coast four players. The top three teams last season have the best juniors, meaning 14 players in the squad come from three teams.
This is a huge message: youth is the way forward. The investment by FFA in the youth teams, and more recently in having each team set up an academy of sorts, is paying off. Now all we need are coaches to follow suit and take the risk. I must say last year I have no idea why Terry Antonis did not get more game time at Sydney FC, especially when Nicky Carle was out injured for so long.
As for my beloved Mariners, I assume Musty is gone as he has a four-year deal at Dortmund on offer. The clubs cannot agree on a transfer fee, however I assume Dortmund will come up with the extra coin. But we have five players and I think a couple more very close to the training camp.
I am told we are looking at a number of junior players coming into our youth squad and they are the best on offer, meaning the “Centre of Excellence” message is getting through. This means we should be stronger next year, but without our two playmakers in Musty and Perez.
The Brisbane Roar will also be strong and their youth policy is similar to the Mariners. Hopefully when both sides go to the ACL in 2013, their youth players will help them do well.
Well done to FFA for establishing the youth league – youth is the way forward.
The team is:
Matthew Acton (GK) – Brisbane Roar 3/6/1992
Mustafa Amini – Central Coast Mariners 20/4/1993
Terry Antonis – Sydney FC 15/11/1993
Eli Babalj – Melbourne Heart 21/2/1992
Jake Barker-Daish – Gold Coast United 7/5/1993
Aziz Behich – Melbourne Heart 16/12/1990
Mark Birighitti (GK) – Adelaide United 17/4/1991
Brian Bran – Oakleigh Cannons (VPL) 2/3/1991
Oliver Bozanic – Central Coast Mariners 8/1/1989
Daniel Bowles – Brisbane Roar 19/10/1991
Ante Drazina – Hertha Berlin, Germany 23/2/1992
Mate Dugandzic – Melbourne Heart 22/10/1989
Sam Gallagher – Central Coast Mariners 5/5/1991
Jason Geria – AIS 10/5/1993
Curtis Good – Melbourne Heart 23/3/1993
Ben Halloran – Gold Coast United 14/6/1992
Brendan Hamill – Melbourne Heart 18/9/1992
Jack Hingert – Dandenong Thunder (VPL) 26/9/1990
Jason Hoffman – Melbourne Heart 28/1/1989
Bernie Ibini-Isei – Central Coast Mariners 12/9/1992
Marko Jesic – Newcastle Jets 7/8/1989
Gol Gol Mebrahtu – Gold Coast United 28/8/1990
Tahj Minniecon – Gold Coast United 13/2/1989
Mitch Nichols – Brisbane Roar 5/1/1989
Mirjan Pavlovic – Wellington Phoenix 21/4/1989
Andrew Redmayne (GK) – Brisbane Roar 13/1/1989
Mathew Ryan (GK) – Central Coast Mariners 8/4/1992
Trent Sainsbury – Central Coast Mariners 5/1/1992
Kliment Taseski – Melbourne Heart 27/5/1991
James Virgili – Newcastle Jets 8/7/1992
Rocco Visconte – Brisbane Roar 22/4/1990
whiskeymac
Guest
good article. highlights exciting players coming through and more to come no doubt with the generation of players benefiting more and more from h bergers and rob baans good work. the extent of the dutch influence will be pronounced one hopes in the 2018 group.
Roarchild
Guest
Apparently on holidays in OZ at that time so they added him.
chris petes
Guest
Isnt Brisbane and CCm acl campaign in 2012 ? btw Melbourne heart has 7 players
Ben of Phnom Penh
Guest
in the juniors there are always going to be some that are missed, so the state leagues play a vital role in the continued development of these young players and ensuring that a career pathway remains open to them. Indeed I see a couple of VPL players in that list. That said I'm not entirely sure which prejudices you are referring to FF as I am not familiar with the current environment of junior football in Australia. Do you mean in terms of physical attributes, technical attributes, club of origin, nepotism, state etc? Incidentally are there any indigenous footballs in that lot? It is one area I always feel we could improve upon and it would be good to know if existing programs are starting to bear fruit.
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
Well that's b/c MV's best youth are so good they get snapped up by o/s clubs. :-) 1. Langerak to Dortmund 2. Kruse to Dusseldof and, let's not forget 3. Mate Dugandzic has played more games for MVFC than any other HAL team! Also, Aziz Behich got his start with MVFC. Not a bad foursome there.
punter
Guest
BTW great article Midfielder, the teams you highlighted above are definately playing their youth & this is showing in their standings in the last season.
Aka
Guest
It would be interesting to see a list of socceroos players and their first clubs. To identify if the NSL clubs did develop the players or if they 'poached' them from lower junior leagues.
Australian Football
Roar Guru
Can you name any?
Midfielder
Guest
Fan Like maybe the following ... selected from non A_league ranks... Brian Bran – Oakleigh Cannons (VPL) 2/3/1991 Jason Geria – AIS 10/5/1993 Jack Hingert – Dandenong Thunder (VPL) 26/9/1990 Appreciate what you say however when you talk about prejudices in selecting players into their teams..... are you seriously saying this did and does not still happen in the NSL teams...
punter
Guest
Football fan, now you have me interested, what do you mean prejudices in selecting players, Are you talking about strong fit athletes as oppossed to skillful players with suspect workrates. Or are you talking about some other prejudices, especially those prevelant in the NSL days.
football fan
Guest
I dont think that this move should get us excited about youth building the future of the A-League. The A- League is going no where until selectors, coaches and the like get rid of their prejudices in selecting players into their teams. No disrespect to those selected but I can guarantee that there are some better players still playing in the NSL teams as Nick highlighted.
jtg
Guest
Youth definitely is the way forward for the A-league. Any news on whether North Qld will be able to enter a team into the next season of the Youth League?
Midfielder
Guest
Nick Sorry to disappoint but the Mariners signed four players last year from the AIS... and two from Blacktown... But I do get your point .... and agree the A-league clubs at this stage do not ... [Mariners aside because they do]... have strong youth leagues and systems in place... BTW where did the NSL get their players .... from the associations .... never forget as I see it Football has a long history and the NSL is a great part of that ... but before the NSL their was an association league ... the NSL never or hardly ever shared their coaching and other things with the associations who provided via their rep teams most of the NSL players....
Nick
Guest
And where do these clubs get their young players, they poach them from the likes of melb knights, sth melb, heidelberg, syd utd, marconi, syd oly, APIA Leichhardt, bonnyrigg, wollongong, bris strikers and all the other discarded nsl clubs
Midfielder
Guest
John WOW you are right ... next year Mariners, Heart, Roar & maybe the Gold Coast will field very strong teams from their youth sides... No Perth, No MV, no AU players.... HHHHHHHHMMMMMMM see what works next season.... 21 of the 20 players from just four clubs...
JohnL
Guest
I counted Melbourne Heart having the most players at 7.
Australian Football
Roar Guru
Gold Coast United back to back champions in the NYL and only has four players in the squad----something wrong there in my opinion..
Midfielder
Guest
Amen .. my football brother
Midfielder
Guest
Interesting selection for an A-League training squad ... Ante Drazina – Hertha Berlin, Germany
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
And, Midfielder, when you look at those names ... what a wonderful reflection of the true cultural diversity of Aussie society. And, no need for the FFA to hold contrived press-stops, since cultural diversity is the very essence of the Beautiful Game.