Graphic: Wayne Unwin // Photo: Drazen Jurina
Steven Topalovic’s return to Dandenong City for the 2017 season marked his third stint at the club and one marked with a hint of unfinished business.
During his last stint at Dandenong City in 2014, the first year of the NPL era, then-coach Ivan Duzel said: “Long-term [goals] of this this club, they want to go to Premier League, they want to be a successful club. And I believe this is a club that can be one of the strongest in the league.”
It was a squad consisting of Topalovic alongside a mix of youth and experience – the likes of Damien Miskulin, Nick Glavan, Marko Stevanja plus eventual NPL2 best and fairest Sean Seavill, Alex Rojas, club legend Dario Matkovic and more.
Yet promotion wasn’t forthcoming as surprise packets Avondale FC and North Geelong made their way up, with Topalovic being one of many departures from Frank Holohan Reserve that year.
He moved to Bentleigh Greens in 2015, where he was part of John Anastasiadis’ high-profile Bentleigh Greens outfit which defeated South Melbourne at Lakeside for the NPL championship.
It ended a long wait for Topalovic to taste Grand Final success in Victoria’s top flight, having lost in 2010 to Green Gully while playing for Richmond.
Beginning his career at Dandenong City – then known as Chelsea Hajduk – Topalovic made a senior debut as a 16-year-old.
Reality TV Show Football Superstar followed; his exploits as a teen impressed Gold Coast United coach Miron Bleiberg who brought him up north, and Topalovic went on to claim the NYL title under Mike Mulvey.
While an A-League contract wasn’t forthcoming, Topalovic has done it all in Victorian football since then, with the Grand Final appearances for Richmond and Bentleigh also surrounded by spells at heavyweights South Melbourne, Dandenong Thunder and Oakleigh Cannons.
So what’s left? From a romanticist’s point of view, why not go back to help your childhood club reach the peak of the state’s football hierarchy.
Despite most likely being a starter in most top-flight clubs, Topalovic opted to go back to future by signing with Dandenong City again this season in the NPL2, where once more the club was priming itself for an elusive tilt at the top – a feat that since 2014, North Geelong has achieved twice (after 2015 relegation), and the likes of St Albans, Richmond, Kingston City and Melbourne Victory have also completed.
Ljubo Milicevic, Nick Kalmar, Mate Dugandzic were the highest-profile additions to an ambitious squad that on paper was tipped by many to finally break through into the NPL for the first time.
History beckoned for Stuart Munro’s star-studded outfit but February marked a period of adjustment. With considerable turnover came inconsistencies and defeats to title rivals Dandenong Thunder and a youthful Springvale White Eagles.
However, March was a complete turnaround and three straight wins, plus points deductions to the latter two, means that now Hajduk are clear in front, trailed by Melbourne City in second.
At the forefront of that has been Topalovic’s form, his partnership with Milicevic in the middle paying dividends, his marauding runs through Frank Holohan Soccer Complex evoking a sense of déjà vu back to his earlier years with the club.
2017 has already been an historic year for City having played under night lights at home for the first time. Will it also yield a first-ever top-flight promotion? If it does, it will likely include Topalovic’s presence at the forefront. April has commenced in the best fashion with a come-from-behind win over West title contenders Moreland Zebras as momentum continues to grow.