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Opinion
The first time I spotted Josh Nisbet, I was propped up on the lounge with my youngest. She asked, “Who is that little boy playing?”
I reminded her that we weren’t watching junior football as we do live on the weekends, but viewing the A-League, Australia’s top tier.
That was probably sometime in late 2018, as the Central Coast academy product received one of his first call-ups to the Mariners’ senior squad.
Nisbet did not star, yet there was something rather refreshing, appealing and inspiring about watching him in the midfield, battling against players who must have been simply astonished that such a specimen even dare step into their territory.
Nisbet stands an unusual 160 centimetres (around five-foot-three in the old money) and frankly, did look like a boy among men in those early matches.
Of course, he wasn’t pushing his weight around or using power and intimidation to earn his position in the Mariners, more the speed, guile and determination for which he has become known over subsequent years.
He is by some margin the shortest player in the competition, yet now one of the most respected.
On Saturday night, Nisbet scored his second goal in what was his 87th appearance for the only professional club he has played – and one that should be praised for seeing beyond his perceived physical limitations.
It wasn’t a thumping volley from the edge of the box that Erling Haaland can produce, nor a booming free-kick from outside the area. Nisbet was simply on the spot in the attacking area when the ball fell to him and he steered it nicely past the Brisbane Roar keeper to send the Mariners two goals up.
Professional football in Australia is littered with tales of players told categorically that play might be the best place for them somewhere down the lower rungs of NPL, based on their slightly smaller frame.
Personally, I know at least three players who simply shake their head in disbelief each and every time they advance no further than open trials at NPL1 clubs. They are kindly informed of their impressive talent by the club, and also the selectors’ desire to pick others in their position that are taller and, supposedly, of more value.
One can only imagine the comments and discussions that have occurred around Nisbet over the years. No doubt even the Mariners, despite seeing his talent at youth level, would have been unsure about his potential success.
There remains something in the minds of football coaches, managers and selectors that values the bigger player more, while also dismissing the simple fact that in general terms, the smaller one will have a greater level of skill.
People forget far too quickly that Nisbet is just a couple of inches shorter than Diego Maradona and only a little further below Lionel Messi standing back-to-back. The recently passed legend Pele stood just five-foot eight and was the tallest of arguably the three greatest players to ever play the game.
Pele was one of the greatest footballers in history. (Photo credit STAFF/AFP via Getty Images)
The first time my daughter spotted Nisbet on a pitch, he stood out as something of an anomaly. Yet perhaps the Australian game could learn a clear lesson from the respectable and effective career he is building, playing for a competitive and improving side.
Has Australian football development become somewhat obsessed with players’ size? I would say yes. Are there players missing elite opportunities due to the narrow-minded preconceptions of people charged with spotting talent? I’d suggest that may be true as well.
Most importantly, are football coaches in Australia qualified and/or clever enough to see the talent and potential in the smaller player? Sadly from what I see most weekends, no.
Women’s Youth NPL1 and 2 matches in Sydney always seem to feature some incredibly tall young girls in defensive positions, most of whom are awful on the ball and frankly, destined to fall short of the elite level.
Elsewhere, an equally defensive-minded and shorter player is hidden away, unselected due to the lure of creating what I like to call a Clydesdale culture at the back.
The fact that Josh Nisbet is able to compete at the highest domestic level is one of football’s greatest strengths and I’d suggest what makes it the most creditable of all endeavours.
There is no place for the Central Coast midfielder in the AFL, NRL, Super Rugby, the NBL and he would likely also struggle on hockey pitches, tennis courts and golf courses. Aside from being a jockey, I’m not sure what other professional sport capable of providing a living for Nisbet.
Football does and luckily, a quality Australian player has not been lost to it. Sadly, many others have and continue to be.