Image: Mark Avellino
2014 Dockerty Cup finalists South Springvale have made recently departed Port Melbourne Sharks midfielder Bonel Obradovic their latest high-profile signing.
The 28-year-old moves to Warner Reserve having spent the past 18 months at JL Murphy Reserve, featuring 26 times for the Sharks in the league, which included a solitary goal.
An Australian Institute of Sport Graduate, the former Young Socceroo was a part of Melbourne Victory’s inaugural Youth team squad in 2008/09 under coach Mehmet Durakovic.
Capable of playing in the centre of the park or at full-back, the promising youngster then moved to the Oakleigh Cannons, spending three and a half years at Jack Edwards Reserve.
A Grand Finalist in 2011 under Arthur Papas, he moved to Northcote City mid-way through 2012 and helped Hercules win the double in 2013, which included a memorable 3-2 extra-time Grand Final triumph over the Bentleigh Greens at AAMI Park.
A return to Oakleigh followed where Obradovic featured under former Gold Coast United manager Miron Bleiberg before enjoying a brief stint with South Melbourne in early 2015.
Another return to Northcote eventuated in the second-half of the campaign as he successfully helped steer Goran Lozanovski’s side out of a relegation battle before joining the Sharks.
He featured in all six of the Sharks opening league games, starting in each one which included a maiden goal for the club in the 4-2 home defeat against Green Gully in Round 4.
His departure leaves James Karvelis, Alan Kearney and the injured Ryan Oppermann as the sole-surviving members of last year’s playing squad still at the club following a considerable player turnover in pre-season under new coach Dominic Barba.
Obradovic joins former Northcote teammates Alex Rojas, Ricardo Gonzales and Steve Sifinos at Aris who are managed by his ex-Cannons teammate Stelios Drakos and captained by his younger brother Ari who was also a long-time teammate of Bonel’s at Oakleigh.
Former NPL2 Player of the Year Sean Seavill is another notable name on South’s playing roster this term, with the 2014 FFA Cup Round of 16 finalists winning their opening two leagues of the season.
Obradovic started and played a key role in Aris’ 2-1 away win at Mooroolbark yesterday afternoon with early goals from Marcelo Arapis and Seavill doing the damage for the early pace-setters.