He was forced to settle for the role of perennial super-sub in 2015 at Bentleigh Greens, but like a caged shark, Jamie de Abreu is chomping at the bit to shine once more with new club Port Melbourne.
The winger won national plaudits in 2014 for a strong FFA Cup campaign as the Bentleigh Greens reached the Semi-Finals in the competition’s inaugural season.
The Perth native had been a crucial first team member for the two season’s prior that run, but a strong recruiting drive in 2015 saw the explosive forward drop down the pecking order under John Anastasiadis.
The decision and timing to make a move seemed right for de Abreu, who admits it was a massive change in lifestyle to uproot and move to JL Murphy Reserve.
“It was a big change coming from Bentleigh Greens, having been there for such a long time,” de Abreu said.
“I decided to make a move and it’s been a good one. The boys are a really good bunch and they work really hard. They’re all really honest and they’ve welcomed me with open arms.
“Eric has a lot of faith in me so if I get the game time and get used to the boys, then hopefully I can score a few more goals and get a few more wins.”
He’s made a bright start to life as a Shark, putting in a stellar outing against Melbourne Victory on the weekend, which saw him find the back of the net on his home debut.
On another day, he could have netted a hat-trick, such were the chances he managed to fashion for himself.
FULL REPORT > Port Melbourne Sharks 1 Melbourne Victory 0
“It was good to score, especially on my home debut. Last week was disappointing as we probably should have won that game [against Oakleigh Cannons] – we had a lot of chances.
“We wanted to focus on making sure we delivered in the final third and we had a few chances in the first half; luckily one went in at the end of the first half.
“So that was good, it was a strong performance from the boys and something to work on.”
The performance was at times back to the wall, but it was a good test of resolve to hang on for the 1-0 win over the Victory.
The next few weeks are crucial for the heavy-recruiting Sharks as they attempt to balance a decent run of results with the need to integrate their new signings into the squad.
If they can begin to put sides to bed, de Abreu believes that the Sharks can be a real force in the NPL in 2016.
“We’ve recruited really well this season, we’ve got a good base,” he said.
“We’ve recruited about five or six players from other clubs and we had a good weekend away a few weeks ago which helped us gel as a team.
“It’s not perfect and we’re still working on a few things and finding out how each other play. Every game we get under our belts together, the more it’ll get better. Hopefully in the next few weeks we’ll start to gel and we’ll go from there.
“We [also] just need to take our chances – sometimes we kill ourselves, especially last week where we should have won two or three-nil.
“It will only get better, it’s only two games we’ve been together and there has been a few boys coming back from injury.
Awaiting de Abreu and his teammates next week is a tough home fixture against South Melbourne, but he believes the confidence brewed from last Friday’s victory will stand them in good stead for the matchup.
“South are always a tough team, they’re always up there. The advantage I guess is that we’re playing at home. We’ll take this 1-0 win and analyse it on Monday and then set up for what we think they’ll go with on Friday night.
“We’re confident – if we work hard and have that desire, we believe we can beat anyone. We’re looking forward to playing them on Friday night.”
Photo: Con Deves