As Heidelberg United’s Kenny Athiu bears down on goal with just Green Gully goalkeeper Rani Dowisha to beat, the custodian steps off his line and makes himself big – in this instance he has a relatively simple stop to make as the striker scuffs his effort. It was one of the few moments Dowisha was called upon in a scoreless stalemate, with the end of the NPL Victoria fixture evoking the bittersweet feeling of personally keeping a clean sheet, but still not being part of a team win. In a sport full of ups and downs, this result sits somewhere in the middle.
Overall, Dowisha’s footballing experience has been a similar rollercoaster ride, none too different from many of his NPL counterparts. It begins with the euphoria of being noticed and signed by an A-League youth side from a young age, includes the anticipation of training full-time and playing in the National Youth League in hope of a professional contract, and ends in the disappointment of being told your services are no longer required at the club.
From there, it’s often a long road back in pursuit of those dizzying heights. In most other nations around the world, being released from a club in the top flight still leaves you with the opportunity to remain in a professional environment at a lower league club. That’s not the case in Australia, with the nature of the beast being a tough slog back in the semi-professional state leagues.
“It’s a bit hard once you leave the system, there’s not much support around,” Dowisha says.
“You go from victory where you’re sort of looked after every day, you leave that system, then you sort of realise that you’re left to fend on your own.
“And that initial transition is quite hard, because you put so much time into football and it was just so football concentrated – you train a couple of times a day and that’s all you’re worried about and then you get told they don’t want you back.
“From there it leaves you with the chance to either keep pushing yourself and get the most out of yourself or back off and say it’s not meant to be.”
That’s not to say that football can’t be rewarding in the life after a brush with the A-League. For Dowisha, his experience includes becoming the face of the inaugural FFA Cup and contact from the Iraqi national team, while now settling into life in the NPL Victoria with Green Gully.
Dowisha’s parents moved from Iraq to Syria during the first Gulf War. He was born in Damascus in 1992, but two months later moved to Australia with his family. It was only after a kick around with his father as a 13- or 14-year-old that he realised his knack for acrobatically leaping to reach the ball. A fruitful spell as a junior at Doncaster Rovers led to two years at the VIS and a stint at Richmond under Michael Chatzitrifonos, before Victory came calling in 2010.
His time under Darren Davies included being the third-choice keeper to the starting XI, having trained full-time with the senior squad. After being released in 2013 without seeing competitive action for the first team, the 20-year-old headed to South Springvale Aris. Half a season later he moved to a youthful Richmond, where he had the chance to be a number one gloveman in the VPL. But it wasn’t to be, and after six appearances at the relegation-bound outfit, he dropped back a level to State One with Aris.
Two seasons at Warner Reserve coincided with the implementation of the FFA Cup in 2014, which culminated in a barnstorming run by Springvale that ended at the Round of 16 on the Gold Coast against Palm Beach Sharks. Dowisha made national headlines for his heroics in the Round of 32 against South Cardiff where, with the game deadlocked at 2-2, he produced a stunning diving save to deny Jarryd Johnson in penalty shootout and send his side through to the next round.
The cup run also resulted in a Dockerty Cup final, where Dowisha and his teammates just fell short against Melbourne Knights – an outfit two divisions higher in the Victorian football heirarchy. Dowisha was awarded man of the match honors for his efforts between the sticks.
It were those experiences which helped stoke his fire for football at a higher level. From training two days a week and looking forward to his next holiday, Dowisha was offered an opportunity to get down to business and test himself in the top flight of Victorian football with Green Gully.
It was during this time that he was also involved in discussions with the Iraq football association to play for the national team of his parents’ heritage, but passport issues scuppered that opportunity.
“The FFA Cup exposure, It was all fun at the time, I had my 15 minutes of fame, I was doing interviews and all that, but what I took out of it the most was that it re-ignited that flame to say I can play the best level I can,” he says.
“I don’t regret my time at Springvale at all, that helped me in terms of my development hugely, I had two full seasons of senior football under a lot of pressure as well, we were expected to win and obviously we also had that cup run as well – that also came with its pressure.
“But more than anything it was a good kick up the arse and I said ‘hey, you’re not done yet’ – I was only 21 at the time and I tried to knuckle down, and it’s the same this season, I’ve worked even harder to try keep my spot.”
He made 22 appearances at Gully in a season that started disastrously, including a 6-1 mauling by newly promoted side North Geelong Warriors – Dowisha wasn’t part of that game – and an 8-2 trouncing by Heidelberg – Dowisha was part of that game – which led to coach Bob Stojcevski being replaced by the duo of Stephen Downes and player-manager Roddy Vargas. A mid-season revival saw Gully finish in a mid-table position, primed for a more promising sting in 2016 with the retention of key players and the appointment of coach Arthur Papas.
“We had a tough start to last season, took us a while to gel, but Roddy and Downesy came in and did well,” Dowisha says.
“At Victory I was with Roddy a fair bit and he hasn’t dropped off at all, he’s still in better shape than most of the boys out there and I can always rely on him. There’s games where I don’t have too much to do, but theres the odd occasion where teams might get through where they call upon them, but having him and Daniel Jones there [as the centre-back pairing] makes life a lot there.”
The beginning of 2016 looked like another challenging time for Dowisha, whose number one position was under threat following the arrival of fellow former A-League youth goalkeeper Alastair Bray from Bentleigh Greens. However, weeks after arriving, the latter’s second crack at the A-League came via a contract offer from Central Coast Mariners.
New coach Arthur Papas has placed his trust in Dowisha, retaining the 23-year-old as the number one keeper at Gully this season. The custodian has rapid the faith so far, playing the opening four rounds and conceding only three goals in the process as Gully aim for a potential finals tilt.
“Bray was here for a few weeks and I know him for a while back and I really enjoyed training with him, even if he was here we still would have gotten the best out of each other in training,” Dowisha says.
“Obviously he’s moved onto bigger and better things, but it’s really just opened up a chance for me to worry about my spot and my work on the pitch, so that’s where it’s at, at the moment.
“On and off the pitch around the club it’s been so professional and it’s taken the boys to the next level, they’re getting the most out of the training and it’s a young and ambitious squad. These coaches [Papas with assistants Shaun Ontong and Agim Sherifoski] for this squad is a perfect fit.”
At an age where goalkeepers are generally still well before their prime, Dowisha looks to consolidate his position in the NPL Victoria, where the standard continues to grow each year with the addition of high-profile players who see the competition as the best platform to get back on the A-League radar.
Beyond that is anyone’s guess, but Dowisha isn’t exactly fussed by what the future holds in store for him.
“I’m really enjoying my football at the moment, that’s the most important thing for me, it’s not the level itself but I’m enjoying where I’m at and getting the best out of myself,” he says.
Feature image: Matt Johnson