Former Central Coast Mariners coach Laurie McKinna has revealed club officials told him not to bother signing Mile Jedinak after he struggled in his A-League debut in the 2006/07 season.
Jedinak’s remarkable rise will reach another high point on Friday when he captains Australia in the opening game of the Asian Cup against Kuwait at Melbourne’s AAMI Park.
The 2014 Asian Player of the year was a pivotal figure in Crystal Palace’s Premiership survival last season and he also captained his country at the World Cup in Brazil.
However, his path to the top hasn’t been easy and McKinna admits he never thought Jedinak would develop into one of the best midfielders in England when he first saw him play.
“It started from a phone call,” McKinna told AAP.
“A mutual friend of mine and the Jedinak family told me the boy had gone over to play in Croatia but it hadn’t worked out and would I have a look at him.
“Mile came up to Gosford from Sydney for two or three days a week unpaid to train for about three months while working for his dad’s building company.
“He was a quiet lad, who just got his head down and wanted to improve. But I would be lying if I said he stood out straight away.
“We tried to play him in a pre-season game against Brisbane in Toowoomba but he got a fever and couldn’t get out of his bed so we never got the chance to see if he could play at this level.”
Undeterred, Jedinak continued to train without pay before a mid-season injury crisis handed him an opportunity.
“We got him in on an injury-replacement contract for a game against Newcastle,” McKinna said.
“He started in central midfield, did OK, nothing more, but we lost 3-1.
“After a few games there were a lot of people around the club telling me he was rubbish and that we shouldn’t keep him.
“But I could see he had a good physique and these long legs that broke up play in midfield and a decent passing game.
“And he just got better and better and better and became our best player.
“Then he left to go to Turkey for a good fee at the end of 2008 and after that we struggled to win a game.
“You look at him now and he’s at the pinnacle of Australian football and deserves every accolade that comes his way.”
McKinna still keeps in contact with Jedinak but refuses to take any credit for his success.
“All I did was give him an opportunity,” he said.
“His determination and hard work have got him to where he is.
“He is still the same humble, quiet, big fella he was when I first met him.
“I’ve sent lads over to London and he’s always gone out of his way to look out for them. That is the kind of bloke he is.
“I couldn’t be happier for him.”
Josh
Guest
Nope, only the best - who will stay at WSW thus eliminating a part of Australia that the Mariners continue to pilfer players from.
kurt
Guest
We didnt have a academy, when jedi came up, it was more the fact we took the rejects, they were cheap and worked for it, so good luck with the academy, but why sign with a team wheee you mighten get a start
Ian
Guest
yeah - because every player from an academy gets contracted to the top level team. good luck with that.
Josh
Guest
Hopefully now WSW have plans in place for an academy we won't see players from Western Sydney venture anywhere near the Central Coast.
midfielder
Guest
Just shows some people have a gift for spotting good talent LM junior signings are the stuff of legion. On Jedi he was not the best when he started but when he was near his end on the Coast he carried the team.