Image: Ivan Dugandzic
It may be less than a month into the 2017 NPL season but already the competition has seen its fair share of upsets.
Reigning champions South Melbourne sit second from the bottom following shock losses against Port Melbourne and Avondale.
Avondale has also claimed another big scalp in the shape of Heidelberg United, who were also held to a 0-0 draw against newly promoted St Albans Saints.
Micky Colina, coach of another side making its return to the Victorian top flight this year, says the contrast between where North Geelong Warriors fit in the league in 2015 and where it fits now is stark.
“Two years ago when we were in there we were punching above our weight. We went on a crazy run when I arrived at North and we found ourselves promoted and I’ll be honest I’ve always said we weren’t ready for it,” Colina says.
“You had your big four just like in EPL, you had your Bentleighs your Heidelbergs, South Melbourne and Hume… Now it’s one of those comps where teams get a little bit more organised, there are a lot of tools that coaches utilise – you’ve got video analysis and stuff it’s great to see.”
“There’s more pressure on Bentleigh to perform every year because they are who they are, there’s an expectation set. But then you get your sides like Kingston, North and St Albans… there’s a general buzz around each one of those clubs and enthusiasm is a powerful tool on the ground. If you can mix that up with a bit of passion and some intelligent football too, it’s going to be a close competition between any side.”
For North Geelong, Colina believes the positive culture of stability and togetherness will take the club a long way.
“One thing I think that’s been the key for us is stability and the consistency. You see the turnover of staff is almost zero,” he says.
“Even when we got relegated every player remained other than Nikola Jurkovic who went to Melbourne Knights, so that’s saying something for the club if every boy… chose to stay and be part of the journey that we set for ourselves and I’m rapt for them and the club that they were rewarded.”
“There’s a real unity. They talk about team, they are a team, on and off the park… it just feels like being a part of something.”
Colina’s men are yet to register a win this season but a 1-1 draw on Monday against Kingston City are the closest they have come after conceding a late equaliser at The Grange Reserve.
“Beforehand if somebody had said ‘here’s a point, don’t bother coming and save yourself the trip’ I would’ve said ‘okay I’ll take it.’”
“In the second half I thought we started brightly again which was good, we scored from a set piece… But Kingston, to their credit, they’ve shown already to date the character and in the end you’re praying for the clock to wind down so you can get out of here with that point.”
The fixture against Kingston was also a memorable night for goalkeeper Marko Stevanja, who made his debut in place of usual custodian Daniel Zilic.
“We’ve got the pleasure of having two competent people that can do the job for us,” Colina says of his goalkeeping stocks.
“You saw a different type of goalkeeper tonight in Marko, the enthusiasm off the line and I thought he had a great game which was awesome and I’m rapt for him. We’ll rotate things, we’ll see how things go, we want to keep it competitive… Like every player, even the goalkeeper should never think he’s a given every week, we want to keep everyone on their toes.”
Another young talent being given an opportunity is defender Ivan Grgic, who made the move to North Geelong in pre-season after time at Melbourne Knights.
“Great kid. He’s 20 years old, he’s 20 going on 30 in relation to maturity and composure. His attitude is second to none and I think he’s an example for many young players… For us he’s been solid and I think he’s definitely a footballer for the future.”
North Geelong’s next challenge comes in the shape of a home match against Bulleen Lions, a task of which Colina doesn’t underestimate the difficulty.
“Another very enthusiastic team that will come looking for three points. This is their second year in the competition now so they’ve got a bit of that nervousness shaken off now. They’re a dangerous side and a good footballing side and I’m sure they’ll come with all intentions to take the whole lot at our place next week.”
“We’ve seen that already and it’s only round three that whether some teams might underestimate some of the minnows of the competition, do that at your own detriment.”